The relationships between six bacterial symbionts of the entomopathogenic nematodes Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Heterorhabditis megidis from Poland to species and subspecies of the genus Photorhabdus were evaluated. This study was based on phylogenetic analysis of sequence data of five genes: 16S rRNA, gyrB, recA, gltX, and dnaN. The bacteria were also characterized phenotypically by biochemical and physiological tests. Our results have revealed that the Photorhabdus strains isolated from H. megidis belong to P. temperata, subsp. temperata and subsp. cinerea. Isolates from H. bacteriophora represent P. luminescens subs. kayaii and P. temperata subs. cinerea. This study for the first time provides evidence for H. bacteriophora and P. temperata subsp. cinerea symbiotic association. In addition, we tested whether the microsymbionts of the Polish H. bacteriophora and H. megidis isolates support the development of non-native nematode host population and colonization of their infective juveniles. It has been shown that the studied Photorhabdus strains can readily swap their nematode host, both at intra- and interspecies level. It supports the hypothesis of different symbiotic associations in the Heterorhabditis-Photorhabdus lineage.
Keywords: Entomopathogenic nematodes; Heterorhabditis; Photorhabdus; Phylogeny; Symbiont exchange; Symbiosis.