Dr. Arne Weinhold

Microbiome Assembly of Butterflies

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The assembly of a host-associated microbiota is a key factor influencing the health of many insect pollinators. Still, little is known about the drivers of microbial community assembly of solitary species within natural habitats. I use cabbage white butterflies (Pieris spp.) as a model system to investigate how timing of acquisition influences microbial community assembly in wild butterfly populations. I combine ecological fieldwork with quantitative and qualitative molecular techniques to test hypotheses on host selection and neutral community assembly. My goal is an integrative understanding of host-microbe interactions from a microbial perspective. More broadly, I am interested to explore how microbial dispersal limitations within plant-pollinator networks could impact wild pollinator health and immunity in the light of insect decline.

Selected Publications

1. Mayr AV, Weinhold A, Nolzen A, Keller A, Ayasse A (2025): The neonicotinoid Acetamiprid alters the chemical profile of the primitive eusocial bee Lasioglossum malachurum. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 306 (2025): 119311 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.119311

2. Pinos A, Alonso-Alonso P, Correa-Carmona Y, Holzmann K L, Yon F, Brehm G, Steffan-Dewenter I, Peters M K, Weinhold A, Keller A (2025) Host identity, more than elevation, shapes bee microbiomes along a tropical elevation gradient, Frontiers in Microbiology 16(2025):1-14 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1671348

3. Weinhold A, Grüner E, Keller A (2024) Bumble bee microbiota shows temporal succession and increase of lactic acid bacteria when exposed to outdoor environments, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 14(2024):1-14 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2024.1342781

4. Weinhold A (2022) Bowel movement: Integrating host mobility and microbial transmission across host taxa. Frontiers in Microbiology 13(826364):1-8 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.826364

5. Paniagua Voirol LR, Weinhold A, Johnston PR, Fatouros NE, Hilker M (2020) Legacy of a Butterfly’s Parental Microbiome in Offspring Performance. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 86(12):e00596-20 https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00596-20