The Microbiota of a Mite Prey-predator System on Different Host Plants Are Characterized by Functional Redundancy and Dysbiosis

Abstract Microbiota have diverse roles in the life cycles of their hosts, affecting their growth, development, behavior, and reproduction. Changes in physiological conditions of the host can also impact the assemblage of host-associated microorganisms. However, little is known of the effects of host plant–prey–predatory mite interactions on mite microbiota. We compared the microbial communities of eggs and adult females of the two˗spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and of adult females of the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on four different host plants (cotton, maize, pinto bean, and tomato) by metabarcoding sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rRNA), using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Only the egg microbiota of T. urticae was affected by the host plant. The microbiota of the predatory mite N. californicus was very different from that of its prey, and the predator microbiota was unaffected by the different host plant–prey systems tested. Only the microbiota of the eggs of T. urticae carried Serratia as a high fidelity-biomarker. Biomarker bacteria were also detected in the microbiota of adult females of T. urticae and N. californicus, with different biomarkers in each host-plant species. The microbiota associated with eggs and adult females of T. urticae and adult females of N. californicus differed in their potential contributions to the host mite.