Protective symbiosis of chemically defended species (PSCDS)
Main funder
Funder's project number: 322536
Funds granted by main funder (€)
- 250 000,00
Funding program
Project timetable
Project start date: 01/09/2019
Project end date: 31/12/2021
Summary
Most insects are host to diverse bacterial communities, having significant impacts on their evolution and diversity. Some symbiotic bacteria are harmful like parasites or pathogens, while other play pivotal roles by providing protective benefits. While a few systems have been well studied, our knowledge of the diversity, distribution and ecological consequences of protective symbioses is limited. The role of protective symbionts in their hosts’ inter-specific interactions, such as predator-prey, remains largely unexplored, particularly in wild populations. This project addresses this issue using chemically defended species, which rely on bacterial symbionts for defence production. Symbiotic bacteria from several chemically defended moth species is characterised and analysed for diversity and spatio-temporal distribution throughout Finland. The results will provide valuable data on how protective symbionts impact ecologically important traits and population dynamics of insect hosts
