A tripartite termite-protozoa-bacteria symbiosis: Impact of different endosymbiotic groups on Reticulitermes flavipes lignocellulose digestion

Lower termites are able to digest a complex lignocellulose diet with the help of protozoa and bacteria living symbiotically in their guts.  Though it is evident that the efforts of this endosymbiotic community as a whole are necessary for termites to derive nutrition from recalcitrant lignocellulose, the relative contribution of each group remains unclear. In this study, we are seeking to elucidate the impact of the gut bacterial community on Reticulitermes flavipes lignocellulose digestion capabilities. Worker termites will be fed for one week on lignocellulose diets treated with Tetracycline, Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Metronidazole, or water (control). Bacterial communities will be sampled and monitored with traditional culturing techniques to determine the impact of these treatments. Additionally, gut lignocellulase activity will be assessed, following treatment, by evaluating glucose and xylose release from pine sawdust incubated with the gut extracts for 18 hr. We hypothesize that Metronidazole will have the most detrimental effects on the ability of R. flavipes to digest lignocellulose because it targets both endosymbiotic protozoa and anaerobic bacteria. Tetracycline, Ampicillin, and Kanamycin target the bacterial community, so we predict they will impact digestion to a lesser degree compared to Metronidazole.  Overall, this study aims to clarify the relative contribution of different microbial groups in termite lignocellulose digestion and lays the foundation for future 16s sequencing efforts to elucidate the impact of specific bacterial groups.