Fig. 1.

Experimental design to elucidate the infection dynamics of MEP-degrading bacteria from soil to insect. a Schema of the MEP-spraying treatment of soils and the insect rearing experiment. In addition to untreated soil (0S), field-collected soils were weekly treated with MEP either two times (2S), four times (4S), or six times (6S). One week after the final MEP-spraying, soil samples were collected from each of the MEP-treated pots, and the remaining soils were used for the insect rearing experiment. b An image of a soybean pot for the insect rearing experiment. Arrows indicate fourth instar nymphs of R. pedestris. After adult emergence, insects were collected and subjected to culture-dependent and culture-independent analyses, whose results were compared with those of soils