We invite you to attend our upcoming AMS virtual seminar! This month's seminar will feature Dr. Nirodha Weeraratne, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from the Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University.
What’s bugging the beetles with benefits? - Entomopathogenic fungi & associated microbiomes of introduced dung beetles in Australia.
Date: 27 February 2025
Time: 12pm AEST
Introduced dung beetles process a significant amount of livestock dung in Australia, thereby reducing livestock pests and pathogen populations. However, they face numerous challenges when establishing in new environments such as entomopathogenic infections. The insect host microbiome plays an important role in exoskeletal defense and susceptibility to pathogens, hence may protect insects against infection through maintenance of a diverse exoskeletal microbiome.
In this study, we investigated the composition of exoskeletal microbiomes of introduced dung beetle species reared under field and controlled-environment conditions. We isolated and identified several species of entomopathogenic fungi from exoskeletal surfaces of dung beetles and investigated the effects of temperature and light conditions on fungal growth and secondary metabolite production.
Results suggest a significant difference in the microbial diversity on the exoskeletal surfaces of diseased dung beetles in contrast to those of healthy dung beetles. Mass-rearing under controlled conditions significantly altered the composition of exoskeletal microbiome of healthy dung beetles. Entomopathogenic fungi frequently encountered on exoskeletal surfaces of diseased beetles were identified as Beauveria sp., and Samsoniella sp. capable of producing toxic metabolites associated with entomopathogenicity. It appears that further investigation into the optimisation and maintenance of a stable and healthy exoskeletal microbiome in dung beetles is important in achieving successful acclimatisation of introduced dung beetles in Australia following sterilisation during the importation process.
Nirodha is an agricultural scientist conducting research and teaching in agricultural biology, plant protection and plant nutrition. Her research involves harnessing plant - soil - microbial interactions for sustainable management of agroecosystems. She is currently working on developing new resources to enhance sustainable agricultural production systems through pest and pathogen management, and improvement of soil health and fertility.
You may reach out to Nirodha through:
X/Twitter: @NirodhaWeerara1
BluSky: @nirodhaweeraratne.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Nirodha Weeraratne
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