DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2bvq83c4m
title: Data from: Insect-microbe-fungus interplay in citrus agro-ecosystems: Cuticular symbionts mediate <em>Diaphorina citri</em> resistance to <em>Beauveria bassiana</em>

description: Microbial symbionts are critical in insect ecology, notably for mediating
 host–pathogen interactions that influence pest population dynamics in
 agro-ecosystems. The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), a key vector
 of Huanglongbing, depends on such microbial associations; however, how its
 cuticular microbiota responds to fungal infection remains unclear. This
 study examined changes in the cuticular bacterial community of D. citri
 following Beauveria bassiana infection and identified protective symbionts
 that alter host susceptibility. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, we detected
 significant shifts in bacterial diversity and composition on the psyllid
 cuticle after fungal exposure. From the cuticle, we isolated two bacterial
 strains, Bacillus albus (CQC‑1) and Shouchella miscanthi (CQC‑32), which
 showed strong antifungal activity, inhibiting B. bassiana spore
 germination by 94.53 % and 73.50 %, respectively. In bioassays, these
 strains increased psyllid survival under fungal challenge to 71.3 % and
 65.2 %, compared with 16.4 % in controls. Our results highlight the
 functional role of cuticular bacteria in host–pathogen interactions and
 suggest their potential use in sustainable management of D. citri. These
 findings further clarify how cuticular microbial communities respond to
 entomopathogenic fungi and modulate insect defense, with implications for
 microbial ecology and integrated pest management in citrus
 agro-ecosystems.
description: # Data from: Insect-microbe-fungus interplay in citrus agro-ecosystems:
 Cuticular symbionts mediate *Diaphorina citri* resistance to *Beauveria
 bassiana* Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.2bvq83c4m](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2bvq83c4m) ##
 Description of the data and file structure Data for Figure 1A:
 Alpha-diversity indices (Chao1, Simpson, Shannon) of *D. citri* cuticular
 microbiota after *B. bassiana* infection. The values represent the
 measured diversity indices, with significance levels (p &lt; 0.05, p &lt;
 0.01) marked. Data for Figure 1B: Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA)
 data based on Bray-Curtis distances. The values are the coordinates of
 each sample in the PCoA plot. Data for Figure 1C: Venn diagram data of
 bacterial genera at different infection times (0 h, 36 h). The numbers
 represent the number of exclusive and shared genera. Data for Figure 1D:
 Relative abundances of bacteria at the phylum level (Pseudomonadota,
 Bacillota, Actinomycetota, etc.). Data for Figure 1E: Relative abundances
 of bacteria at the genus level (Acetobacteraceae, *Staphylococcus*,
 *Mammaliicoccus*, etc.). Data for Figure 2: 16S rRNA gene amplification
 and phylogenetic tree data. The sequences of CQC-1 (PV628155) and CQC-32
 (PV628310) are included, with 99 % identity information to *Bacillus
 albus* and *Shouchella miscanthi*. Data for Figure 3: Antifungal activity
 data of bacterial fermentation broth. The values include the inhibition
 rate of *B. bassiana* growth. Data for Figure 4: Microscopic observation
 data of *B. bassiana* mycelium. The values are spore germination rates and
 mycelium lengths (control vs. treated groups). Data for Figure 5: Survival
 rate data of *D. citri* after *B. bassiana* infection. The values are
 survival rates (%) of different groups (Control, CQC-1+Bb, CQC-32+Bb, Bb)
 at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days post-infection. Data for Fig S2: Growth curves of
 *Bacillus albus* and *Shouchella miscanthi* (n = 5). ### Files and
 variables #### File: Diaphorina_citri_microbe_data.zip **Description:** 
 Figure 1A: Chao1: Microbial richness index; Simpson: Microbial evenness
 index; Shannon: Comprehensive diversity index; Control group: *D. citri*
 without *B. bassiana* infection; Infected group: *D. citri* infected with
 *B. bassiana*. Figure 1D: Phylum name: Bacterial phylum (Pseudomonadota,
 Bacillota, Actinomycetota); Relative abundance: Proportion of each phylum
 in the total microbiota (%). Figure 1E: Genus name: Bacterial genus
 (Acetobacteraceae, Staphylococcus, etc.); Relative abundance: Proportion
 of each genus in the total microbiota (%). Figure 4E: Spore germination
 rate: Percentage of germinated *B. bassiana* spores (%); Mock control: LB
 medium without bacterial treatment; CQC-1 treatment: *B. bassiana* treated
 with *B. albus* fermentation broth; CQC-32 treatment: *B. bassiana*
 treated with *S. miscanthi* fermentation broth. Figure 4F: Mycelium
 length: Length of *B. bassiana* mycelium (μm); Groups are the same as
 Figure 4E. Figure 5: Survival rate: Percentage of surviving *D. citri*
 (%); Control: Surface-sterilized *D. citri* without bacterial or fungal
 exposure; CQC-1+Bb: Surface-sterilized *D. citri* pretreated with *B.
 albus*, then infected with *B. bassiana*; CQC-32+Bb: Surface-sterilized
 *D. citri* pretreated with *S. miscanthi*, then infected with *B.
 bassiana*; Bb: Surface-sterilized *D. citri* directly infected with *B.
 bassiana*. Figure S2：Growth curves of *Bacillus albus* and *Shouchella
 miscanthi* (n = 5). ## Code/software QIIME2 (v2022.11): Used for
 processing 16S rRNA sequencing data (filtering, merging, OTU clustering).
 MEGA 6.0: Used for constructing Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree with
 1,000 bootstrap replicates. R software (v4.3.1): Used for statistical
 analysis (t-tests, PERMANOVA, log-rank test) and plotting (ggplot2
 package).[https://magic-plus.novogene.com/#/](#/): Used for data
 visualization (if applicable in your study). ## Access information Other
 publicly accessible locations of the data: * NCBI GenBank under accession
 numbers PV628155 (*Bacillus albus* CQC-1) and PV628310 (*Shouchella
 miscanthi* CQC-32).