Young squash bugs rely on feces to consume essential microbes, according to evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist Scott Villa of Davidson College in North Carolina. If the nymphs cannot find the microbes, they will die. However, Caballeronia, the specific microbe they need, is not readily available in the environment. Villa questions why the bugs did not simply provide the microbes to their offspring directly. Other insects, on the other hand, defecate on their eggs, ensuring that their young can consume the necessary bacteria. Understanding how squash bug nymphs acquire Caballeronia could potentially help control the pest population by disrupting the bacterial supply chain. Villa and his colleagues stumbled upon this discovery while studying another topic, capturing an adult squash bug defecating on camera. The nymphs were immediately attracted to the feces and began feeding. When given the choice between saline and feces containing the bacteria, the bugs overwhelmingly chose the feces. Out of 229 recorded events, only three did not involve bacteria-containing feces.
2023-06-28 10:00:00
Link from www.sciencenews.org