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Pinto BJ, Weis JJ, Gamble T, Ode PJ, Paul R, Zaspel JM. A chromosome-level genome assembly of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia glomerata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). J Hered 2021; 112:558-564. [PMID: 34043785 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hymenopterans make up about 20% of all animal species, but most are poorly known and lack high-quality genomic resources. One group of important, yet under-studied hymenopterans, are parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae. Among this under-studied group are braconid wasps in the genus Cotesia; a clade of ~1,000 species routinely used in studies of physiology, ecology, biological control, and genetics. However, our ability to understand these organisms has been hindered by a lack of genomic resources. We helped bridge this gap by generating a high-quality genome assembly for the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia glomerata (Braconidae; Microgastrinae). We generated this assembly using multiple sequencing technologies, including Oxford Nanopore, whole-genome shotgun sequencing, and 3-D chromatin contact information (Hi-C). Our assembly is one of the most contiguous, complete, and publicly available hymenopteran genomes, represented by 3,355 scaffolds with a scaffold N50 of ~28Mb and a BUSCO score of ~99%. Given the genome sizes found in closely related species, our genome assembly was ~50% larger than expected, which was apparently induced by runaway amplification of three types of repetitive elements: simple repeats, Long Terminal Repeats (LTRs), and Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs). This assembly is another step forward for genomics across this hyper-diverse, yet understudied, order of insects. The assembled genomic data and metadata files are publicly available via Figshare (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13010549).
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan J Pinto
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA.,Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Tony Gamble
- Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.,Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Paul J Ode
- Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO, USA
| | - Ryan Paul
- Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jennifer M Zaspel
- Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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Haverkamp A, Smid HM. A neuronal arms race: the role of learning in parasitoid-host interactions. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 42:47-54. [PMID: 32947014 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Parasitic wasps and their larval hosts are intimately connected by an array of behavioral adaptations and counter-adaptations. This co-evolution has led to highly specific, natural variation in learning rates and memory consolidation in parasitoid wasps. Similarly, the hosts of the parasitoids show specific sensory adaptations as well as non-associative learning strategies for parasitoid avoidance. However, these neuronal and behavioral adaptations of both hosts and wasps have so far been studied largely apart from each other. Here we argue that a parallel investigation of the nervous system in wasps and their hosts might lead to novel insights into the evolution of insect behavior and the neurobiology of learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Haverkamp
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Hans M Smid
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Kraaijeveld K, Oostra V, Liefting M, Wertheim B, de Meijer E, Ellers J. Regulatory and sequence evolution in response to selection for improved associative learning ability in Nasonia vitripennis. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:892. [PMID: 30526508 PMCID: PMC6288879 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5310-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Selection acts on the phenotype, yet only the genotype is inherited. While both the phenotypic and genotypic response to short-term selection can be measured, the link between these is a major unsolved problem in evolutionary biology, in particular for complex behavioural phenotypes. Results Here we characterize the genomic and the transcriptomic basis of associative learning ability in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis and use gene network analysis to link the two. We artificially selected for improved associative learning ability in four independent pairs of lines and identified signatures of selection across the genome. Allele frequency diverged consistently between the selected and control lines in 118 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), clustering in 51 distinct genomic regions containing 128 genes. The majority of SNPs were found in regulatory regions, suggesting a potential role for gene expression evolution. We therefore sequenced the transcriptomes of selected and control lines and identified 36 consistently differentially expressed transcripts with large changes in expression. None of the differentially expressed genes also showed sequence divergence as a result of selection. Instead, gene network analysis showed many of the genes with consistent allele frequency differences and all of the differentially expressed genes to cluster in a single co-expression network. At a functional level, both genomic and transcriptomic analyses implicated members of gene networks known to be involved in neural plasticity and cognitive processes. Conclusions Taken together, our results reveal how specific cognitive abilities can readily respond to selection via a complex interplay between regulatory and sequence evolution. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5310-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Kraaijeveld
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081, HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Vicencio Oostra
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT, London, UK
| | - Maartje Liefting
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081, HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bregje Wertheim
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Emile de Meijer
- Leiden Genome Technology Center, Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jacintha Ellers
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081, HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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de Bruijn JAC, Vet LEM, Smid HM. Costs of Persisting Unreliable Memory: Reduced Foraging Efficiency for Free-Flying Parasitic Wasps in a Wind Tunnel. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
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Liefting M, Hoedjes KM, Le Lann C, Smid HM, Ellers J. Selection for associative learning of color stimuli reveals correlated evolution of this learning ability across multiple stimuli and rewards. Evolution 2018; 72:1449-1459. [PMID: 29768649 PMCID: PMC6099215 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
We are only starting to understand how variation in cognitive ability can result from local adaptations to environmental conditions. A major question in this regard is to what extent selection on cognitive ability in a specific context affects that ability in general through correlated evolution. To address this question, we performed artificial selection on visual associative learning in female Nasonia vitripennis wasps. Using appetitive conditioning in which a visual stimulus was offered in association with a host reward, the ability to learn visual associations was enhanced within 10 generations of selection. To test for correlated evolution affecting this form of learning, the ability to readily form learned associations in females was also tested using an olfactory instead of a visual stimulus in the appetitive conditioning. Additionally, we assessed whether the improved associative learning ability was expressed across sexes by color-conditioning males with a mating reward. Both females and males from the selected lines consistently demonstrated an increased associative learning ability compared to the control lines, independent of learning context or conditioned stimulus. No difference in relative volume of brain neuropils was detected between the selected and control lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maartje Liefting
- Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam1081 HVthe Netherlands
- Applied Zoology/Animal EcologyFreie Universität BerlinBerlinD‐12163Germany
| | - Katja M. Hoedjes
- Laboratory of EntomologyWageningen UniversityWageningen6700 AAthe Netherlands
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanneCH‐1015Switzerland
| | - Cécile Le Lann
- Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam1081 HVthe Netherlands
- CNRS, ECOBIO (Ecosystèmes, Biodiversité, Evolution)UMR 6553, Université de RennesRennesF‐35000France
| | - Hans M. Smid
- Laboratory of EntomologyWageningen UniversityWageningen6700 AAthe Netherlands
| | - Jacintha Ellers
- Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam1081 HVthe Netherlands
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Whitfield JB, Austin AD, Fernandez-Triana JL. Systematics, Biology, and Evolution of Microgastrine Parasitoid Wasps. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 63:389-406. [PMID: 29058979 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The braconid parasitoid wasp subfamily Microgastrinae is perhaps the most species-rich subfamily of animals on Earth. Despite their small size, they are familiar to agriculturalists and field ecologists alike as one of the principal groups of natural enemies of caterpillars feeding on plants. Their abundance and nearly ubiquitous terrestrial distribution, their intricate interactions with host insects, and their historical association with mutualistic polydnaviruses have all contributed to Microgastrinae becoming a key group of organisms for studying parasitism, parasitoid genomics, and mating biology. However, these rich sources of data have not yet led to a robust genus-level classification of the group, and some taxonomic confusion persists as a result. We present the current status of understanding of the general biology, taxonomic history, diversity, geographical patterns, host relationships, and phylogeny of Microgastrinae as a stimulus and foundation for further study. Current progress in elucidating the biology and taxonomy of this important group is rapid and promises a revolution in the classification of these wasps in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Whitfield
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
| | - Andrew D Austin
- Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia;
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