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December 9, 2008, 9:01 pm
Insects supplement diet using symbiotic bacteriaMany insects tap into the sugary juices of plant sap to get their food, but the sap is very poor source of amino acids, so symbiotic bacteria make the amino acids for them!
[New York Times]
Source:
www.nytimes.com
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Diskutera
Plant sap is carried in the phloem and it is rich in sugars made by photosynthesis in the leaves which are carried to the roots.
The insects use their needle-like proboscis to suck on the sugary sap. Sugars are easily broken down to release energy by cellular respiration, or built up into larger molecules needed by the insects' cells.
But the insects also need a source of essential amino acids to build their proteins. Where can they get these, if the plant sap has so few?
That's where bacteria can help - they can synthesize the amino acids needed by the insects in return for protection and food from the insects.
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