Seasonal impacts on gut microbial composition of the Eastern subterranean termite (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae).

This article focuses on the seasonal impact of temperature on the gut microbiome composition and protist abundance in the termite species Reticulitermes flavipes collected from a single colony in the central United States. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and protist counts from May to October 2020, the study found significant changes in bacterial alpha and beta diversity metrics, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in October as soil temperatures declined. Several bacterial taxa showed significant correlations with soil temperature, suggesting that seasonal temperature fluctuations influence termite gut microbial communities, potentially as an adaptive response to environmental changes. The findings highlight the need for further research on the functional roles of these microbial shifts in termite physiology, cold adaptation, and overwintering behavior.