Comparative 16S rRNA metabarcoding analysis of gut bacterial diversity across seven termite species from Senegal: ecological roles and community structure

This study employed 16S rRNA metabarcoding to characterize gut bacteria in seven termite species from Senegal, including fungus-growing higher and non-fungus-growing termite species, and evaluating the effects of glyphosate exposure. The analysis identified 1,674 ASVs, spanning 26 phyla and 132 genera. Dominant phyla in both type of termites were Bacteroidota, Bacillota, Spirochaetota, and Fibrobacterota. Fungus-growers were enriched in Candidatus Patescibacteria, Pseudomonadota, and Planctomycetota, while non-fungus-growers harbored more Acidobacteriota, Spirochaetota, and Fibrobacterota. Differential abundance confirmed Acidobacteriota, Spirochaetota, and Fibrobacterota as enriched in non-fungus-growers (FDR < 0.05), and Patescibacteria, Thermoplasmatota, and Elusimicrobiotain fungus-growers. Among minor phyla, Spirochaetota comprised 12 ASVs, Actinomycetota 15 ASVs, more frequent in fungus-growers, and Myxococcota 3 ASVs, sporadically detected. Phylogenetic analysis revealed termite-specific clustering of Treponema ASVs, consistent with long-term host-symbiont co-diversification. In Trinervitermes spp., glyphosate-treated and untreated colonies showed no significant differences in alpha or beta diversity, though untreated samples tended towards higher richness. Overall, it seems that feeding ecology shaped termite gut microbiota more strongly than possible glyphosate exposure. The detection of the Actinomycetota phylum (which includes Streptomyces spp.) suggests antibiotic potential, while possible resistance genes and microbial filtering highlight the need for meta-omics approaches to link community structure with biosynthetic capacity and antimicrobial resistance.