Can (13)C stable isotope analysis uncover essential amino acid provisioning by termite-associated gut microbes?

Gut-associated microbes of insects are postulated to provide a variety of nutritional functions including provisioning essential amino acids (EAAs). Demonstrations of EAA provisioning in insect-gut microbial systems, nonetheless, are scant. In this study, we investigated whether the eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes sourced EAAs from its gut-associated microbiota. δ(13)C(EAA) data from termite carcass, termite gut filtrate and dietary (wood) samples were determined following (13)C stable isotope analysis. Termite carcass samples (−27.0 ± 0.4‰, mean ± s.e.) were significantly different from termite gut filtrate samples (−27.53 ± 0.5‰), but not the wood diet (−26.0 ± 0.5‰) (F((2,64)) = 6, P < 0.0052). δ(13)C(EAA)-offsets between termite samples and diet suggested possible non-dietary EAA input. Predictive modeling identified gut-associated bacteria and fungi, respectively as potential major and minor sources of EAAs in both termite carcass and gut filtrate samples, based on δ(13)C(EAA) data of four and three EAAs from representative bacteria, fungi and plant data. The wood diet, however, was classified as fungal rather than plant in origin by the model. This is attributed to fungal infestation of the wood diet in the termite colony. This lowers the confidence with which gut microbes (bacteria and fungi) can be attributed with being the source of EAA input to the termite host. Despite this limitation, this study provides tentative data in support of hypothesized EAA provisioning by gut microbes, and also a baseline/framework upon which further work can be carried out to definitively verify this function.