Browsing by Author "Saul, Elisamehe Ayubu"

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    Isolation and molecular characterization of fungi and bacteria associated with ambrosia beetles (coleoptera: curculionidae: scolytinae and platypodinae) from morogorotanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam,, 2017) Saul, Elisamehe Ayubu
    The study was conducted to identify and characterize fungi and bacteria associated with ambrosia beetles inhabiting Kimboza Forest Reserve Morogoro (Tanzania) with the broad objective of exploring the important microbe - insect symbiotic relationship.Insects and fungal mats were collected directly from the nests of active ambrosia beetles galleries, the microbes were identified using 16S and ITS rDNA analysis whereas beetles were identified using dichotomous identification keys.Two species or beetles namely Xyleborusaffinis and Xyleborusalluaudi were identified. The results from rDNA analyses and multiple sequence alignment of ten isolates of Actinobacteria and nine fungi using CLUSTALX yielded 27 species of bacteria belonging to 14 genera, with the genus Streptomyces dominating both galleries and bodies of the beetles and 38 species of fungi belonging to 11 genera, with the genus Fusarium dominating the galleries and bodies of the beetles. Furthermore, ectosymbiotic fungus Neocosmosporarubicola was isolated from the gallery of X. affinis. Moreover, the most prevalent bacterial symbiont the Streptomyces was found to produce bioactive secondary metabolites with an MIC of 50mg/mL against Candida, Bacillus and Pseudomonas microbes thus indicating potential benefit of the Ambrosia beetle This is the first study to report the association of the fungus Neocosmosporarubicola with ambrosia beetle. The results further confirms literature from elsewhere in the world that Streptomyces are symbionts of ambrosia beetles providing antimicrobial protection against pathogens in the beetleā€™s galleries.