Squash bugs are attracted to and eat each other's poop to stock their microbiome
Published:25 Jul.2023 Source:Cell Press
Squash bugs, a common and difficult-to-control agricultural pest, need healthy bacteria in their gut to grow and stay alive. However, they do not acquire any bacteria from their parents when they are first born, leaving them vulnerable until their microbiome can be stocked.
Researchers report in the journal Current Biology on June 28 that, to acquire these healthy bacteria, young bugs innately seek out and eat the poop from older squash bugs.
"This is a directed behavior. They're not just feeding on something that has feces on it because they live in a gross environment. They're deliberately seeking out the feces and slurping it up," says Jason Chen, a graduate student in biology at Emory University and co-first author of the paper. "We show that the squash bug nymphs only feed on feces from adults of their own species."