Examinando por Autor "Itcus, Corina"

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    Patterns of Insect Distribution in Fruit Trees of South Romania and Their Role as Bacterial Vectors
    (MDPI, 2025) Copoiu, Dana S; Lavin, Paris; Itcus, Corina; Purcarea, Cristina
    This study is the first investigation of tree–insect–bacteria interactions in south‑ern Romania, documenting the distribution of 19 insect species across various fruit treesand their insect‑associated bacterial diversity. Insect species were identified through DNAbarcoding, while bacterial communities inAnthomyia,Botanophila,Drosophila, andScapto‑myzainsects were analyzed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Insect diversity varied acrossapple, cherry, plum, peach, and quince trees, with most species showing tree‑specific distri‑bution, except forDrosophila melanogaster, which was found on all tree species. Its presencewas primarily influenced by fruit development stages rather than temperature changes.Insect bacterial communities comprised 51 genera across four phyla, predominantlyPseu‑domonadotaandBacillota, that varied by tree species rather than insect species, suggestingthe potential role of these flies as bacterial vectors. Several potential pathogenic bacterialgenera were identified as biomarkers within insect microbiomes, suggesting their involve‑ment in disease transmission, particularly affecting apple and cherry trees. This study alsoprovides the first report of seven insect species in Romania, being the first microbiomecharacterization of four dipteran species associated with regional fruit trees