# Host‐Associated Bacterial Community Changes After Laboratory Introduction Vary With Wolbachia Presence

## TL;DR

This study shows how moving parasitic wasps to a lab changes their bacterial communities, with Wolbachia affecting how these changes happen over time.

## Contribution

The study reveals that Wolbachia presence influences microbial community homogenization and delayed responses in a parasitic wasp after lab translocation.

## Key findings

- Laboratory translocation reduces bacterial diversity and is driven by stochastic processes.
- Asexual wasps showed more similar bacterial communities over generations compared to sexual wasps.
- Wolbachia abundance changed after lab introduction, likely affecting bacterial community structure.

## Abstract

Translocating organisms from their natural habitats to laboratories can significantly alter their microbial communities, yet this impact is often overlooked. While common in research, the effects on microbiomes and how laboratory findings relate to natural field dynamics require further study. Symbionts may stabilise microbial communities or increase susceptibility to change, influencing results. This study investigates the effects of laboratory translocation on host‐microbiome interactions using the parasitic wasp Asobara japonica and its endosymbiont Wolbachia. Three infected (asexual) and three uninfected (sexual) lines, each with seven iso‐female lines, were introduced into the laboratory to track microbial community changes over four generations via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results show laboratory translocation reduces bacterial diversity, with stochastic processes driving changes in the microbial community. Changes in bacterial composition differed between sexual and asexual lines. Over four generations, the asexual wasps' bacterial community became more similar, while sexual wasps exhibited greater diversity. Notably, changes in bacterial communities emerged over generations rather than in the first generation. Finally, Wolbachia abundance varied following laboratory introduction, likely impacting bacterial community structure and assembly over time. Overall, our research highlights how laboratory conditions can affect host‐associated microbial communities in different ways, potentially impacting their functions and host interactions.

The endosymbiont Wolbachia promotes homogenisation and delays the microbial community response of the parasitic wasp Asobara japonica after a significant environmental change. This suggests that key microbial taxa can mediate community shifts and has important implications for experimental design in microbial ecology, particularly in translating lab findings to natural systems.