Nature ecology & evolution · 8 authors, 5 centres
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This macro-evolutionary study analyzed 1,850 microbe-insect symbioses across 402 insect families to find that symbionts enable insects to feed on nutrient-imbalanced diets like phloem and blood, primarily by supplementing B vitamins, but the impact on insect diversification varies by feeding niche.
The study compiled data on 1,850 microbe–insect symbioses from 402 insect families to examine the ecological causes and consequences of obligate symbiosis. The authors found that symbionts allow insects to specialize on nutrient-imbalanced diets, with B vitamin deficiencies being the primary nutrient limitation consistently associated with the evolution of obligate symbiosis. The shift to new diets facilitated by symbioses had mixed effects on insect diversification: it led to high species proliferation in some niches, like herbivory, but severely constrained diversification in others, such as strict blood feeding. The analysis is limited to macro-evolutionary patterns at the family level and relies on putative criteria for obligate dependence rather than direct experimental verification.
