D3541: Effect of diet on microbiome of wood-feeding cockroach

The sub-social wood-roach Cryptocercus punctulatus inhabits and exclusively consumes fallen logs. C. punctulatus harbor a taxonomically and functionally diverse community of protists in their gut which have been linked to cellulose digestion, and are transmitted vertically through parental hindgut feeding. These protists, order Oxymonadida, are unique to the Cryptocercus genus. Despite variation in the chemical composition of different types of wood, C. punctulatus inhabit any log species within their range, including a variety of both hardwood and softwood species. Specialized functions of different protist taxa may correspond to chemical structures of different wood types. A relationship between diet heterogeneity and protist diversity has been hypothesized but not been empirically validated. Additionally, the functional role of Oxymonad diversity in the Cryptocercus hindgut remains unclear. I will use a combination of 18s sequencing and microscopy to identify differences in the Oxymonad communities in Cryptocercus inhabiting different log types. I will also use these methods to evaluate change in Oxymonad community structure after exposure to a new diet type. Results from this research will show functional links between microbiome and life history of Cryptocercus, and provide insight into how diet mediates the co-evolutionary dynamics between Cryptocercus and its vertically transmitted microbiome.