ABSTRACT
Insects are the most diverse group of animals and are known to harbour complex microbial community in their gut. These microbial communities are modulated by numerous factors such as host genotype, diet, habitat etc. The development of new tools over past decade had made it feasible to understand microbial ecology in insects. Moreover, biotechnological demands for novel enzymes, antibiotic and other biomolecules have also been upsurges. Various associations between host insects and their gut microbiota play crucial role in food digestion, host development, host survival and reproduction. Recent studies showed that manipulating these microbial symbionts can be an effective strategy to control insect pest as well as insect mediated pathogen transfer. Symbionts are colonised according to food which is one of the factor for microbial colonisation. Food contain various metals especially Iron, is an essential component in insects and gut microbes for cell composition, intermediary metabolism, secondary metabolism, enzyme activity and host cell interactions. In this article the recent discoveries related to interactions of host insect with their gut microbiota and their potential role in lifestyle of host is discussed. This article also brings attention towards siderophore producing microorganisms from insect gut and potential of these microbes in nutrient acquisition.
