Abstract

Mutualistic relationships between insects and microorganisms have been widely described for bacterial symbionts associated with sap feeding insects and fungi associated with bark beetles. Recently, the importance and widespread distribution of mutualistic yeasts in plant-insect interactions has been demonstrated. Several examples with Drosophila melanogaster among other insects have shown the ability of the insect to survive in a diet based on yeast consumption only. Moreover, yeasts have shown the ability of suppressing pathogens that might hamper the development of the insects. From the point of view of the yeasts, the main benefit of the mutualism is the facilitation of processes such as outbreeding and spreading offered by contact with insects. Understanding the functions and key elements in yeast-insect interactions could lead to the development of better pest management strategies, for example by exploiting the attraction of insects to yeasts to lure them into entomopathogenic viruses. In this review, I present an overview of the current knowledge in yeast-insect interactions, highlighting what has been studied to date and what research gaps remain to be addressed.

Keywords

yeast; insect; mutualism

Published in

Introductory paper at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science
2014, number: 2014:3, pages: 1-52
Publisher: Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Authors' information