Metagenomic approaches reveal the variations of microbiota structures and functions with the growth of Melanaphis sacchari

Melanaphis sacchari, commonly known as the sugarcane aphid, is a small sap-sucking insect that transmits several plant viruses, including Sugarcane mosaic virus and Sugarcane yellow leaf virus, both of which result in reduced crop yield and quality. This study explores the microbiota structure and function in different developmental stages of M. sacchari by using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Alpha diversity indices were used to compare microbiota diversity across these stages. Key bacteria, such as Buchnera aphidicola, Burkholderia stabilis, and Paenibacillus pasadenensis, were identified and quantified, showing that both diversity and abundance of bacterial communities vary across aphid stages. Buchnera aphidicola is most abundant in egg period compared to other stages. Functional predictions based on the KEGG database indicated that most bacterial genes are associated with metabolism. This study provides a foundational understanding of the bacterial microbiota in M. sacchari, enhancing insights into the complex interactions between microbiota and host insects and highlighting the essential role of microbiota in M. sacchari development.