Brood ball-mediated transmission of microbiome members in the dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Insects feeding on plant sap, blood, and other nutritionally incomplete diets are typically associated with mutualistic bacteria that supplement missing nutrients. Herbivorous mammal dung contains more than 86% cellulose and lacks amino acids essential for insect development and reproduction. Yet on...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anne M Estes, David J Hearn, Emilie C Snell-Rood, Michele Feindler, Karla Feeser, Tselotie Abebe, Julie C Dunning Hotopp, Armin P Moczek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3815100?pdf=render