DIVERSITY OF MICRO-FLORA IN INSECT GUT AND THEIR POTENTIAL ROLE IN INSECT METABOLISM
A. M. RAUT *
Department of Entomology, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
PAVAN S. ZORE
Department of Entomology, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
A. NAJITHA BANU
Department of Zoology, School of Bioengeeniring and Bioscience, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Insects are responsible for economic agricultural losses and also for pollinator. The microorganisms are associated with both herbivores and Polinators and can directly effect on crop production. In this review we are going to discuss the various types of microbiota present in the insect gut which is a reservoir of large number of microbes and these microbes have both harmful and beneficial effect. We are going to summarise the involvement of these microbes in the metabolic process inside the insect gut. Insect mid gut secret most of the digestive enzymes and also full with large number of microbes which significantly play role in digestion and metabolism. The abundance of micro flora is greatly affected on host associate, geographic area, and age of host or developmental stage of insect. Gut microbes are playing important role in herbivores like pesticide detoxification, defensive behaviours, thermal detection, body colour, growth and development. Understand the role of microbes in larval development may leads to new approach for sustainable pest management which helps in pesticide consumption pressures.
Keywords: Diversity, insect gut, herbivores and micro-flora.