Microbiome of forest tree insects

Insects are vital components of every ecosystem, including forest environments. Insects share the same habitat with diverse microorganisms and in some cases live in symbiosis with them. Their interactions with the microbiome could be either neutral, beneficial, or detrimental to either partner. To gain insight into the diversity and importance of insects in forest ecosystems, their ecological roles and general characteristics are summarized and discussed in this chapter. Insects from diverse orders representing different life stages are associated with diverse microbiomes (e.g., bacteria, fungi, and viruses). Microbiota associated with insects have functionally diverse roles ranging from pathogenic to mutualistic symbionts. Bacterial endosymbioses are commonly observed in the larval stages of most lepidopteran and coleopteran insects. The functional roles of the microbiome associated with forest insects, their transmission routes, and interactions are also discussed in this chapter. Challenges and constraints on the availability of baseline diversity and global data on the insect microbiome are further highlighted.