Datensatz

Zusammenfassung

Microbial symbionts play an essential role for the ecology and evolution of most multicellular organisms. Firebugs (Hemiptera, Pyrrhocoridae) are associated with actinobacterial symbionts in the mid-gut that supplement limiting B-vitamins and are tightly integrated into the host’s metabolism. The symbiosis is widespread among firebugs and enables them to subsist on Malvales seeds as the sole nutritional resource.