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Liu ZD, Wickham JD, Sun JH. Fighting and aggressive sound determines larger male to win male-male competition in a bark beetle. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:203-214. [PMID: 31944573 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Intrasexual selection occurs in male-male competition over access to females and usually results in the larger male winning. While much research has documented that size matters, little is known about how the larger male wins. Dendroctonus valens is an aggregating monogamous bark beetle in which males have large variation in body size and display intense competition over females. Behavioral observation showed two males fight each other within the gallery by pushing/shoving and stridulated more when two males encountered each other. Experiments using two different-sized males synchronously competing showed that larger males won 95% of contests. Reciprocal displacement experiments using muted and intact males of different or equal size were used to simulate male-male competition. Larger males displaced the smaller resident male in 90% of contests, while smaller males prevailed over larger residents in 6.7% of contests. With both males silenced, larger males displaced smaller males in 80% of contests, while smaller males prevailed in 8% of contests. Further experiments using equal-sized males showed aggressive sound-emitting males displaced muted males in 67% of contests, yet intact males displaced other intact males in only 37.5% of contests. Sound analysis showed sound pressure level is an honest signal of body size and males chose soft sounds over loud aggressive sounds in assays. Therefore, D. valens males have evolved dual behaviors, fighting and aggressive sounds associated with body size, to assess rivals to compete for a partner, gaining insights in male-male competition for this species and for other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhu-Dong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Jacob D Wickham
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Jiang-Hua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
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Liu ZD, Mi GB, Raffa KF, Sun JH. Physical contact, volatiles, and acoustic signals contribute to monogamy in an invasive aggregating bark beetle. INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 27:1285-1297. [PMID: 31407465 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The behavioral strategies and mechanisms by which some insects maintain monogamous mating systems are not well understood. We investigated the mating system of the bark beetle Dendroctonus valens, and identified several contributing mechanisms. Field and laboratory observations suggest the adults commonly form permanent bonds during host colonization. Moreover, it showed mated females that remained paired with males produced more offspring than mated females that were alone in galleries. In bioassays, a second female commonly entered a gallery constructed by a prior female. Videos show she commonly reached the location of the first female, but they did not engage in actual fighting. Rather, the second female typically departs to form her own gallery. Acoustic signaling likewise does not appear to influence female-female encounters, based on controlled muting experiments. Instead, the intruder appears to perceive the resident's presence by physical contact. Both acoustic signals and volatiles released by females during gallery constructing were shown to attract males. After a male joined a female in a gallery, the male-produced aggressive sounds, which were shown by playback to deter other males from entering the gallery. Unlike female-female interactions, resident males use their head and rear to push intruders out of galleries. Additionally, volatiles released by males during feeding repelled intruding males, discouraging them from entering the gallery. Males also construct plugs that block the entrance, which may prevent subsequent males and predators from entering the gallery. Thus, D. valens has evolved multifaceted mechanisms contributing to single pairings that confer benefits to both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhu-Dong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guo-Bing Mi
- Erdaochuan Forest Station of Guandi Mountain Forest Bureau, Wenshui, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Kenneth F Raffa
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jiang-Hua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Erdaochuan Forest Station of Guandi Mountain Forest Bureau, Wenshui, Shanxi Province, China
- University Academy of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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3
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Swierk L, Langkilde T. Fitness costs of mating with preferred females in a scramble mating system. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Little is known about the operation of male mate choice in systems with perceived high costs to male choosiness. Scramble mating systems are one type of system in which male choice is often considered too costly to be selected. However, in many scramble mating systems, there are also potentially high rewards of male choosiness, as females vary dramatically in reproductive output and males typically mate once per season and/or per lifetime. Using scramble mating wood frogs (Rana sylvatica), we tested whether males gain fitness benefits by mating with preferred females. We conducted choice trials (1 male presented simultaneously with 2 females) and permitted males to mate with their preferred or nonpreferred female. Offspring of preferred and nonpreferred females were reared in the laboratory and field, and we quantified various fitness-relevant parameters, including survivorship and growth rates. Across multiple parameters measured, matings with preferred females produced fewer and lower-quality offspring than did those with nonpreferred females. Our results are inconsistent with the idea that mate choice confers benefits on the choosing sex. We instead propose that, in scramble systems, males will be more likely to amplex females that are easier to capture, which may correlate with lower quality but increases male likelihood of successfully mating. Such male choice may not favor increased fitness when the operational sex ratio is less biased toward males in scramble mating systems but is, instead, a bet-hedging tactic benefitting males when available females are limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Swierk
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA
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Belliure J, Fresnillo B, Cuervo JJ. Male mate choice based on female coloration in a lizard: the role of a juvenile trait. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Josabel Belliure
- Department of Life Sciences, Ecology Section, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Belén Fresnillo
- Department of Life Sciences, Ecology Section, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - José J Cuervo
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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Baruch O, Mendel Z, Scharf I, Harari AR. Mating system, mate choice and parental care in a bark beetle. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 107:611-619. [PMID: 28382882 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485317000311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The cypress bark beetle, Phloeosinus armatus, is a common element of the dying cypress tree system in East-Mediterranean countries. Adult beetles congregate for breeding on this ephemeral resource. We studied three traits that characterize this beetle's sexual behavior and linked them to its reproductive success: mating system, mate choice, and parental care. We found that the females are the 'pioneering sex', excavating the mating chamber. The average female is slightly larger than the male, and female and male body size is correlated, demonstrating size-assortative mating. The time it takes for a male to enter the mating chamber is positively correlated with female size and negatively correlated with its own size, which is perhaps responsible for this assortative mating. Males remain in the gallery during the period of oviposition, gradually leaving soon after the eggs hatch. The number of eggs laid and tunnel length are positively correlated with male body size. Finally, in the presence of both parents, more eggs are laid than when the female alone is present, demonstrating the important contribution of biparental care for reproductive success. We suggest that the interaction between a monogamous mating system, assortative mating, and biparental care contributes to reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Baruch
- Department of Entomology,The Volcani Center,Bet Dagan,Israel
| | - Z Mendel
- Department of Entomology,The Volcani Center,Bet Dagan,Israel
| | - I Scharf
- Department of Zoology,Faculty of Life Sciences,Tel Aviv University,Tel Aviv,Israel
| | - A R Harari
- Department of Entomology,The Volcani Center,Bet Dagan,Israel
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Saxena S, Mishra G, Omkar. Familiarity dominates relatedness in mate selection in ladybirds. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Saxena
- Ladybird Research Laboratory Department of Zoology University of Lucknow Lucknow India
| | - G. Mishra
- Ladybird Research Laboratory Department of Zoology University of Lucknow Lucknow India
| | - Omkar
- Ladybird Research Laboratory Department of Zoology University of Lucknow Lucknow India
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Liu Z, Xu B, Guo Y, Raffa KF, Sun J. Gallery and acoustic traits related to female body size mediate male mate choice in a bark beetle. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Xu L, Lu M, Xu D, Chen L, Sun J. Sexual variation of bacterial microbiota of Dendroctonus valens guts and frass in relation to verbenone production. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 95:110-117. [PMID: 27677696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2016.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2016] [Revised: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Gut microbiota are widely involved in insect biology, and many factors can influence the microbiota in guts and frass. Dendroctonus valens is a very destructive forest pest in China, and the mass-attacking behavior is regulated by several semiochemicals, including verbenone, a multifunctional pheromone. The beetle harbors a variety of bacteria in its guts and frass and some of them are capable of verbenone production. D. valens is characterized by monogamy and female-initiated attacking behavior. Whether the bacterial communities fluctuate according to sex, and whether the variation influences the verbenone production, remains to be determined. In this study, the bacterial microbiota in D. valens guts and frass were analyzed, and verbenone production by their crude bacterial suspensions was compared in vitro. Bacterial diversity in female frass is more abundant compared to male frass, and the percentages and total amounts of main genera like Lactococcus and Pseudomonas in female frass are significantly higher than those in male frass. The verbenone produced by the female frass suspension is significantly higher than male frass. This study presents a comprehensive comparison of bacterial communities in guts and frass between both sexes of D. valens, highlighting the potential significance of female frass microbiota in verbenone production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Min Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Dandan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Li Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jianghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
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Cheng C, Xu L, Xu D, Lou Q, Lu M, Sun J. Does cryptic microbiota mitigate pine resistance to an invasive beetle-fungus complex? Implications for invasion potential. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33110. [PMID: 27621032 PMCID: PMC5020614 DOI: 10.1038/srep33110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial symbionts are known to assist exotic pests in their colonization of new host plants. However, there has been little evidence linking symbiotic invasion success to mechanisms for mitigation of native plant resistance. The red turpentine beetle (RTB) was introduced with a fungus, Leptographium procerum, to China from the United States and became a destructively invasive symbiotic complex in natural Pinus tabuliformis forests. Here, we report that three Chinese-resident fungi, newly acquired by RTB in China, induce high levels of a phenolic defensive chemical, naringenin, in pines. This invasive beetle-fungus complex is suppressed by elevated levels of naringenin. However, cryptic microbiotas in RTB galleries strongly degrade naringenin, and pinitol, the main soluble carbohydrate of P. tabuliformis, is retained in L. procerum-infected phloem and facilitate naringenin biodegradation by the microbiotas. These results demonstrate that cryptic microbiota mitigates native host plant phenolic resistance to an invasive symbiotic complex, suggesting a putative mechanism for reduced biotic resistance to symbiotic invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihang Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China
| | - Letian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, China
| | - Dandan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qiaozhe Lou
- Technical Center, Hebei Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Shijiazhuang, 050051, China
| | - Min Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Jianghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
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Xu L, Lou Q, Cheng C, Lu M, Sun J. Gut-Associated Bacteria of Dendroctonus valens and their Involvement in Verbenone Production. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2015; 70:1012-23. [PMID: 25985770 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-015-0625-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Bark beetles are the most important mortality agent in coniferous forests, and pheromones play important roles in their management. Dendroctonus valens LeConte was introduced from North America to China and has killed millions of healthy pines there. Trapping with semiochemicals and pheromones was deployed in D. valens management in the last decade, but little is known about the ability of gut bacteria to produce the pheromone. In this study, we analyzed the volatiles in D. valens guts and frass after antibiotic treatment versus control. Then, we isolated and identified the bacteria in D. valens guts and frass, examined verbenone (a multifunctional pheromone of D. valens) production by 16 gut bacterial isolates from the precursor cis-verbenol at three concentrations, and further compared the cytotoxicities between the cis-verbenol and verbenone to the bacterial isolates. cis-Verbenol was not detected in the frass in the control group, but it was in the antibiotic treatment. The amount of verbenone was significantly suppressed in D. valens guts after antibiotic treatment versus control. Thirteen out of 16 gut bacterial isolates were capable of cis-verbenol to verbenone conversion, and cis-verbenol had stronger cytotoxicities than verbenone to all tested gut bacterial isolates. The bacterial species capable of verbenone production largely exists in D. valens guts and frass, suggesting that gut-associated bacteria may help the bark beetle produce the pheromone verbenone in guts and frass. The bacteria may benefit from the conversion due to the reduced cytotoxicity from the precursor to the beetle pheromone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Qiaozhe Lou
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China
- Technical Center, Hebei Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, 050051, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chihang Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Min Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China.
| | - Jianghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China.
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11
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West RJD, Kodric-Brown A. Mate Choice by Both Sexes Maintains Reproductive Isolation in a Species Flock of Pupfish (Cyprinodonspp) in the Bahamas. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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12
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Kehl T, Burmeister MFWT, Donke E, Köhn NAK, Metschke K, Pfender D, Karl I, Fischer K. Pheromone Blend Does not Explain Old Male Mating Advantage in a Butterfly. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kehl
- Zoological Institute & Museum; Greifswald University; Greifswald Germany
| | | | - Elisabeth Donke
- Zoological Institute & Museum; Greifswald University; Greifswald Germany
| | - Nora A. K. Köhn
- Zoological Institute & Museum; Greifswald University; Greifswald Germany
| | - Katja Metschke
- Zoological Institute & Museum; Greifswald University; Greifswald Germany
| | - David Pfender
- Zoological Institute & Museum; Greifswald University; Greifswald Germany
| | - Isabell Karl
- Zoological Institute & Museum; Greifswald University; Greifswald Germany
| | - Klaus Fischer
- Zoological Institute & Museum; Greifswald University; Greifswald Germany
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Wang B, Lu M, Cheng C, Salcedo C, Sun J. Saccharide-mediated antagonistic effects of bark beetle fungal associates on larvae. Biol Lett 2013. [PMID: 23193043 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bark beetles are among the most destructive of pine forest pests and they form close symbiotic relationships with ophiostomatoid fungi. Although some fungi are considered to be mutualistic symbionts of bark beetles with respect to the supply of nutrients, detrimental effects of fungal symbionts on larval growth have also been frequently reported. The mechanisms of such antagonistic effects are hypothesized to be a decrease in nutritional resources caused by competition for saccharides by the fungi. Here, we provide experimental evidence that three beetle-associated fungi modify the nutritional content of an artificial phloem diet, leading to a detrimental effect on the growth of Dendroctonus valens larvae. When larvae were fed a diet of pine phloem in agar medium colonized with any of these fungi, feeding activity was not affected but weight significantly decreased. Additional analysis showed that fungi depleted the fructose and glucose concentrations in the phloem media. Furthermore, these detrimental effects were neutralized by supplementing the media with fructose or glucose, suggesting that fungi may affect larval growth by modifying diet saccharide contents. These data indicate that fungus-induced nutritional changes in bark beetle diet can affect larval growth, and that the mechanism involves fungus-induced saccharide depletion from the larval diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
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