Chironomidae (chironomid) are one of the dominant families in freshwater ecosystems, and they plays an important role in the food web. They have been used as an indicator for water quality assessment, as they are resistant to diverse environmental pollutants. In this study, we identified the microbiomes of two chironomid species to see if there are any endogenous bacterial groups which could contribute to the host survival. The studied species are Glyptotendipes tokunagai, a model species cultivated in a laboratory-controlled environment, and Chironomus flaviplumus captured in a field stream in Yeosu, Korea. DNAs were extracted from the whole body of the individual species, and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified. The amplified products were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq platform. The microbiomes of G. tokunagai were homogeneous, having 20% of the core amplicon sequence variants overlapping between replicates sampled from different water tanks. In contrast, none of the core amplicon sequence variants overlapped in C.flaviplumus. In both chironomid groups, potential symbionts were identified. Dysgonomonas, which can degrade complex carbon sources, was found in more than half of the total microbiomes of G. tokunagai. Tyzzerella and Dechloromonas, which have been suggested to detoxify environmental pollutants, were identified in the microbiome of C.flaviplumus. This study can help elucidate the life strategies of chironomids in polluted or organic-rich environments.
Keywords: Chironomus flaviplumus; Glyptotendipes tokunagai; chironomid; cultivated; detoxification; high-throughput sequencing; microbiome; wild.