Nutritional symbionts play a major role in the ecology and evolution of insects. The recent
accumulation of knowledge on the identity, function, genomics, and phylogenetic …

Hemipterans (such as aphids, whiteflies, and leafhoppers) are some of the most devastating
insect pests due to the numerous plant pathogens they transmit as vectors, which are …

Mutualistic interactions with microbes have facilitated the radiation of major eukaryotic
lineages [1, 2]. Microbes can notably provide biochemical abilities, allowing eukaryotes to …

The interactions between ants and certain sap-feeding insects in the order Hemiptera are
classic examples of food-for-protection mutualisms. In these associations, herbivorous …

The exploration of new niches for microorganisms capable of degrading recalcitrant
molecules is still required. We hypothesized the gut microbiota associated with insect …

Endosymbiotic bacteria that live inside the cells of insects are typically only transmitted
maternally and can spread by increasing host fitness and/or modifying reproduction in …

1. Many insects host secondary bacterial symbionts that are known to have wide‐ranging
effects on their hosts, from host‐plant use to resistance against natural enemies. This has …

Highlights•Hamiltonella defensa is a bacterial symbiont protecting aphids against
parasitoids.•APSE viruses infect H. defensa and play key roles in the defensive …

Ecologically important traits of insects are often affected by facultative bacterial
endosymbionts. This is best studied in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, which is …

Sumx Insects evolve dependence—often extreme—on microbes for nutrition. This includes
cases in which insects harbor multiple endosymbionts that function collectively as a …