Ecology Letters (2005) 8, 1291-1298

R.J. Dillon, C.T. Vennard, A. Buckling and A.K. Charnley (2005)
Diversity of locust gut bacteria protects against pathogen invasion
Ecology Letters 8 (12), 1291-1298
Abstract: Diversity-invasibility relationships were explored in the novel context of the colonization resistance provided by gut bacteria of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria against pathogenic bacteria. Germ-free insects were associated with various combinations of one to three species of locust gut bacteria and then fed an inoculum of the pathogenic bacterium Serratia marcescens. There was a significant negative relationship between the resulting density of Serratia marcescens and the number of symbiotic gut bacterial species present. Likewise there was a significant inverse relationship between community diversity and the proportion of locusts that harboured Serratia. Host mortality was not negatively correlated with resistance to gut-invasion by Serratia marcescens, although there were significantly more deaths among pathogen fed germ-free insects than tri-associated gnotobiotes. The outcome is consistent with the predictions of community ecology theory that species-rich communities are more resistant to invasion than species-poor communities.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Anthony Keith Charnley

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Schistocerca gregaria
Serratia marcescens (entomopathogen)	Schistocerca gregaria