Gut microbiome of wood-feeding termites

Abstract:

Termites are efficient lignocellulose degraders in the natural ecosystem. During the long-time evolution, termites have developed different strategies to decompose lignocellulose efficiently with the help of their gut microbiome. Wood-feeding termites have duel-cellulolytic systems that originated from termites and their microbiota. In lower termites, wood particles are digested primarily by endogenous cellulase secreted from the host foregut and midgut and then decomposed almost completely by numerous flagellates in the hindgut of termites. The fermentation products are acetate, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Wood-feeding higher termites lost flagellates during the evolution. Wood particles are digested primarily by endogenous cellulase secreted from the host and are subsequently degraded by symbiotic bacteria in the hindgut of the termites. Fungus-cultivating termites degrade wood particles with the help of Termitomyces they cultivated in the fungus combs and their intestinal microbiota. The symbiotic microbiota in termite guts may involve in bioprocess like nitrogen fixation and uric acid hydrolyzation, utilization and transformation of metabolic intermediates, and degradation of lignocellulose. It is meaningful to study and imitate the highly efficient lignocellulose-degrading system of termites for biofuel industry development.