ArticleMicrobiome2022
The functional evolution of termite gut microbiota.
Article in Microbiome, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers.
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Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- A new narrative for social immunity research in termites.Trends open · 2026Review
- Cellulose-fueled extracellular electron transfer in termite gut microbes.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Caste-Associated Gut Microbial Diversity and Predicted Functional Profiles inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- A family of ribosome hibernation factors widespread in Archaea.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Metabolic capacities of large "pillotinaceous" spirochetes from termite guts and their placement among Breznakiellaceae.BMC biology · 2026Article
- Insect Gut Microbiota as a Reservoir of Industrially Relevant Enzymes: A Comprehensive Review.Microbial ecology · 2026Review
- Differential responses of termite gut bacterial and fungal community to tropical forest conversion.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Rethinking Termite Methane Emissions: Does the Mound Environment Matter?Global change biology · 2026Article
- Characterization of a Novel Cyclized Prodigiosin Derivative from Termite Mound-AssociatedMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Microbial Mediators of Pine Defense Resistance: Stage-Specific Gut Symbionts Enable Acantholyda posticalis to Overcome Terpenoid Barriers.Microbial ecology · 2026Article
- Comparative metagenomic analysis of gut microbiota inFrontiers in insect science · 2026Article
- Micro-computed tomography of termite gut anatomy: effects of staining regime on resolvability.PeerJ · 2026Article
- Subterranean synergies: termite bacterial diversity and eugenol-mediated selective dysbiosis.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Discovery and genomics of HISME communications · 2026Article
- Caracterização taxonômica integrativa de comunidades bacterianas e fúngicas de tripas de cupins e areia de folhas.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2025Article
- Quantitative genetics of microbiome-mediated traits.Evolution; international journal of organic evolution · 2025Article
- Article
- Symbiotic solutions for colony nutrition: Conserved nitrogen recycling within the bacterial pouch ofProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Characterization of two GH10 enzymes with ability to hydrolyze pretreated Sorghum bicolor bagasse.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Genome-Scale Community Model-Guided Development of Bacterial Coculture for Lignocellulose Bioconversion.Biotechnology and bioengineering · 2025Article
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 7 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTermites primarily feed on lignocellulose or soil in association with specific gut microbes. The functioning of the termite gut microbiota is partly understood in a handful of wood-feeding pest species but remains largely unknown in other taxa. We intend to fill this gap and provide a global understanding of the functional evolution of termite gut microbiota.
resultsWe sequenced the gut metagenomes of 145 samples representative of the termite diversity. We show that the prokaryotic fraction of the gut microbiota of all termites possesses similar genes for carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolisms, in proportions varying with termite phylogenetic position and diet. The presence of a conserved set of gut prokaryotic genes implies that essential nutritional functions were present in the ancestor of modern termites. Furthermore, the abundance of these genes largely correlated with the host phylogeny. Finally, we found that the adaptation to a diet of soil by some termite lineages was accompanied by a change in the stoichiometry of genes involved in important nutritional functions rather than by the acquisition of new genes and pathways.
conclusionsOur results reveal that the composition and function of termite gut prokaryotic communities have been remarkably conserved since termites first appeared ~ 150 million years ago. Therefore, the "world's smallest bioreactor" has been operating as a multipartite symbiosis composed of termites, archaea, bacteria, and cellulolytic flagellates since its inception. Video Abstract.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.