Answer
The larvae of clothes moths feed on clothes and wools, the main component of these textiles being keratin. These keratin molecules are crosslinked to each other by disulfide bonds. We know that disulfide bonds exist in oxidizing environments. So the reduced environment inside the digestive tract of these larvae helps them to break these disulfide bonds and thus they are able to digest the keratin the feed on. This is how the reducing gut environment benefits the clothes moth larvae.
Work Step by Step
The larvae of clothes moths feed on clothes and wools, the main component of these textiles being keratin. These keratin molecules are crosslinked to each other by disulfide bonds. We know that disulfide bonds exist in oxidizing environments. So the reduced environment inside the digestive tract of these larvae helps them to break these disulfide bonds and thus they are able to digest the keratin the feed on. This is how the reducing gut environment benefits the clothes moth larvae.
