Ph.D. Candidate University of Georgia Athens, Georgia, United States
American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) are well known as robust insects. One facet of their survival is maintaining a functional gut microbiome in the face of variable food availability. Unlike studies involving mammals, our group has found that drastic changes in the P. americana host diet do not lead to changes in the 16S-amplicon profile of the hindgut microbiome. To understand the 16S stability of this hindgut community, this work uses single-cell genome, metagenome, and metatranscriptome sampling to characterize metabolic capabilities of microbial community members, clarify relationships and co-dependencies between these members, and identify diet-related transcriptional changes from them. Initial analyses show that these microbial taxa are understudied and under-represented in databases, highlighting the importance of characterizing organisms from non-traditional microbiome model organisms. Determining the potential of these organisms bolsters databases for future studies, and understanding their roles in the greater gut community helps untangle the complex interactions of the gut microbiome.
