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Ponton F, Tan YX, Forster CC, Austin AJ, English S, Cotter SC, Wilson K. The complex interactions between nutrition, immunity and infection in insects. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245714. [PMID: 38095228 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Insects are the most diverse animal group on the planet. Their success is reflected by the diversity of habitats in which they live. However, these habitats have undergone great changes in recent decades; understanding how these changes affect insect health and fitness is an important challenge for insect conservation. In this Review, we focus on the research that links the nutritional environment with infection and immune status in insects. We first discuss the research from the field of nutritional immunology, and we then investigate how factors such as intracellular and extracellular symbionts, sociality and transgenerational effects may interact with the connection between nutrition and immunity. We show that the interactions between nutrition and resistance can be highly specific to insect species and/or infection type - this is almost certainly due to the diversity of insect social interactions and life cycles, and the varied environments in which insects live. Hence, these connections cannot be easily generalised across insects. We finally suggest that other environmental aspects - such as the use of agrochemicals and climatic factors - might also influence the interaction between nutrition and resistance, and highlight how research on these is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fleur Ponton
- School of Natural Sciences , Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Yin Xun Tan
- School of Natural Sciences , Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Casey C Forster
- School of Natural Sciences , Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | | | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1QU, UK
| | | | - Kenneth Wilson
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
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2
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Liu HP, Yang QY, Liu JX, Haq IU, Li Y, Zhang QY, Attia KA, Abushady AM, Liu CZ, Lv N. Host plant-mediated effects on Buchnera symbiont: implications for biological characteristics and nutritional metabolism of pea aphids ( Acyrthosiphon pisum). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1288997. [PMID: 38126022 PMCID: PMC10731267 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1288997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Introduction The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, is a typical sap-feeding insect and an important worldwide pest. There is a primary symbiont-Buchnera aphidicola, which can synthesize and provide some essential nutrients for its host. At the same time, the hosts also can actively adjust the density of bacterial symbiosis to cope with the changes in environmental and physiological factors. However, it is still unclear how symbionts mediate the interaction between herbivorous insects' nutrient metabolism and host plants. Methods The current study has studied the effects of different host plants on the biological characteristics, Buchnera titer, and nutritional metabolism of pea aphids. This study investigated the influence of different host plants on biological characteristics, Buchnera titer, and nutritional metabolism of pea aphids. Results and discussion The titer of Buchnera was significantly higher on T. Pretense and M. officinalis, and the relative expression levels were 1.966±0.104 and 1.621±0.167, respectively. The content of soluble sugar (53.46±1.97µg/mg), glycogen (1.12±0.07µg/mg) and total energy (1341.51±39.37µg/mg) of the pea aphid on V. faba were significantly higher and showed high fecundity (143.86±11.31) and weight (10.46±0.77µg/mg). The content of total lipids was higher on P. sativum and T. pretense, which were 2.82±0.03µg/mg and 2.92±0.07µg/mg, respectively. Correlation analysis found that the difference in Buchnera titer was positively correlated with the protein content in M. officinalis and the content of total energy in T. pratense (P < 0.05). This study confirmed that host plants not only affected the biological characteristics and nutritional metabolism of pea aphids but also regulated the symbiotic density, thus interfering with the nutritional function of Buchnera. The results can provide a theoretical basis for further studies on the influence of different host plants on the development of pea aphids and other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-ping Liu
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qiao-yan Yang
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jing-xing Liu
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Inzamam Ul Haq
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yan Li
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qiang-yan Zhang
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Kotb A. Attia
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Asmaa M. Abushady
- Biotechnology School, Nile University, 26th of July Corridor, Sheikh Zayed City, Giza, Egypt
- Department of Genetics, Agriculture College, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Chang-zhong Liu
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ning Lv
- Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
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Whittle M, Bonsall MB, Barreaux AMG, Ponton F, English S. A theoretical model for host-controlled regulation of symbiont density. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1731-1744. [PMID: 37955420 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
There is growing empirical evidence that animal hosts actively control the density of their mutualistic symbionts according to their requirements. Such active regulation can be facilitated by compartmentalization of symbionts within host tissues, which confers a high degree of control of the symbiosis to the host. Here, we build a general theoretical framework to predict the underlying ecological drivers and evolutionary consequences of host-controlled endosymbiont density regulation for a mutually obligate association between a host and a compartmentalized, vertically transmitted symbiont. Building on the assumption that the costs and benefits of hosting a symbiont population increase with symbiont density, we use state-dependent dynamic programming to determine an optimal strategy for the host, i.e., that which maximizes host fitness, when regulating the density of symbionts. Simulations of active host-controlled regulation governed by the optimal strategy predict that the density of the symbiont should converge to a constant level during host development, and following perturbation. However, a similar trend also emerges from alternative strategies of symbiont regulation. The strategy which maximizes host fitness also promotes symbiont fitness compared to alternative strategies, suggesting that active host-controlled regulation of symbiont density could be adaptive for the symbiont as well as the host. Adaptation of the framework allowed the dynamics of symbiont density to be predicted for other host-symbiont ecologies, such as for non-essential symbionts, demonstrating the versatility of this modelling approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilda Whittle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michael B Bonsall
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- St Peter's College, Oxford, UK
| | - Antoine M G Barreaux
- UMR INTERTRYP, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
- Animal Health Theme, ICIPE, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Fleur Ponton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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4
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Kiefer JST, Bauer E, Okude G, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Cuticle supplementation and nitrogen recycling by a dual bacterial symbiosis in a family of xylophagous beetles. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01415-y. [PMID: 37085551 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01415-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Many insects engage in stable nutritional symbioses with bacteria that supplement limiting essential nutrients to their host. While several plant sap-feeding Hemipteran lineages are known to be simultaneously associated with two or more endosymbionts with complementary biosynthetic pathways to synthesize amino acids or vitamins, such co-obligate symbioses have not been functionally characterized in other insect orders. Here, we report on the characterization of a dual co-obligate, bacteriome-localized symbiosis in a family of xylophagous beetles using comparative genomics, fluorescence microscopy, and phylogenetic analyses. Across the beetle family Bostrichidae, most investigated species harbored the Bacteroidota symbiont Shikimatogenerans bostrichidophilus that encodes the shikimate pathway to produce tyrosine precursors in its severely reduced genome, likely supplementing the beetles' cuticle biosynthesis, sclerotisation, and melanisation. One clade of Bostrichid beetles additionally housed the co-obligate symbiont Bostrichicola ureolyticus that is inferred to complement the function of Shikimatogenerans by recycling urea and provisioning the essential amino acid lysine, thereby providing additional benefits on nitrogen-poor diets. Both symbionts represent ancient associations within the Bostrichidae that have subsequently experienced genome erosion and co-speciation with their hosts. While Bostrichicola was repeatedly lost, Shikimatogenerans has been retained throughout the family and exhibits a perfect pattern of co-speciation. Our results reveal that co-obligate symbioses with complementary metabolic capabilities occur beyond the well-known sap-feeding Hemiptera and highlight the importance of symbiont-mediated cuticle supplementation and nitrogen recycling for herbivorous beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Genta Okude
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8571, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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Lacotte V, Dell'Aglio E, Peignier S, Benzaoui F, Heddi A, Rebollo R, Da Silva P. A comparative study revealed hyperspectral imaging as a potential standardized tool for the analysis of cuticle tanning over insect development. Heliyon 2023; 9:e13962. [PMID: 36895353 PMCID: PMC9988560 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Cereal-feeding beetles are a major risk for cereal crop maintenance. Cereal weevils such as Sitophilus oryzae have symbiotic intracellular bacteria that provide essential aromatic amino acid to the host for the biosynthesis of their cuticle building blocks. Their cuticle is an important protective barrier against biotic and abiotic stresses, providing high resistance from insecticides. Quantitative optical methods specialized in insect cuticle analysis exist, but their scope of use and the repeatability of the results remain limited. Here, we investigated the potential of Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) as a standardized cuticle analysis tool. Based on HSI, we acquired time series of average reflectance profiles from 400 to 1000 nm from symbiotic (with bacteria) and aposymbiotic (without bacteria) cereal weevils S. oryzae exposed to different nutritional stresses. We assessed the phenotypic changes of weevils under different diets throughout their development and demonstrated the agreement of the results between the HSI method and the classically used Red-Green-Blue analysis. Then, we compared the use of both technologies in laboratory conditions and highlighted the assets of HSI to develop a simple, automated, and standardized analysis tool. This is the first study showing the reliability and feasibility of HSI for a standardized analysis of insect cuticle changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Lacotte
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Elisa Dell'Aglio
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sergio Peignier
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Fadéla Benzaoui
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Abdelaziz Heddi
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Rita Rebollo
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Pedro Da Silva
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
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Kiefer JST, Schmidt G, Krüsemer R, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Wolbachia causes cytoplasmic incompatibility but not male-killing in a grain pest beetle. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:6570-6587. [PMID: 36201377 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The endosymbiotic Wolbachia is one of the most common intracellular bacteria known in arthropods and nematodes. Its ability for reproductive manipulation can cause unequal inheritance to male and female offspring, allowing the manipulator to spread, but potentially also impact the evolutionary dynamics of infected hosts. Estimated to be present in up to 66% of insect species, little is known about the phenotypic impact of Wolbachia within the order Coleoptera. Here, we describe the reproductive manipulation by the Wolbachia strain wSur harboured by the sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Coleoptera, Silvanidae), through a combination of genomics approaches and bioassays. The Wolbachia strain wSur belongs to supergroup B that contains well-described reproductive manipulators of insects and encodes a pair of cytoplasmic incompatibility factor (cif) genes, as well as multiple homologues of the WO-mediated killing (wmk) gene. A phylogenetic comparison with wmk homologues of wMel of Drosophila melanogaster identified 18 wmk copies in wSur, including one that is closely related to the wMel male-killing homologue. However, further analysis of this particular wmk gene revealed an eight-nucleotide deletion leading to a stop-codon and subsequent reading frame shift midsequence, probably rendering it nonfunctional. Concordantly, utilizing a Wolbachia-deprived O. surinamensis population and controlled mating pairs of wSur-infected and noninfected partners, we found no experimental evidence for male-killing. However, a significant ~50% reduction of hatching rates in hybrid crosses of uninfected females with infected males indicates that wSur is causing cytoplasmic incompatibility. Thus, Wolbachia also represents an important determinant of host fitness in Coleoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian S T Kiefer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Gerrit Schmidt
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ronja Krüsemer
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.,Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.,Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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7
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Jackson R, Monnin D, Patapiou PA, Golding G, Helanterä H, Oettler J, Heinze J, Wurm Y, Economou CK, Chapuisat M, Henry LM. Convergent evolution of a labile nutritional symbiosis in ants. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:2114-2122. [PMID: 35701539 PMCID: PMC9381600 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01256-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Ants are among the most successful organisms on Earth. It has been suggested that forming symbioses with nutrient-supplementing microbes may have contributed to their success, by allowing ants to invade otherwise inaccessible niches. However, it is unclear whether ants have evolved symbioses repeatedly to overcome the same nutrient limitations. Here, we address this question by comparing the independently evolved symbioses in Camponotus, Plagiolepis, Formica and Cardiocondyla ants. Our analysis reveals the only metabolic function consistently retained in all of the symbiont genomes is the capacity to synthesise tyrosine. We also show that in certain multi-queen lineages that have co-diversified with their symbiont for millions of years, only a fraction of queens carry the symbiont, suggesting ants differ in their colony-level reliance on symbiont-derived resources. Our results imply that symbioses can arise to solve common problems, but hosts may differ in their dependence on symbionts, highlighting the evolutionary forces influencing the persistence of long-term endosymbiotic mutualisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaella Jackson
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - David Monnin
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Patapios A Patapiou
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Gemma Golding
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Heikki Helanterä
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90014, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, Hanko, Finland
| | - Jan Oettler
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, 93040, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, 93040, Germany
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
- Alan Turing Institute, London, NW1 2DB, UK
| | - Chloe K Economou
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Michel Chapuisat
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lee M Henry
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK.
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Janke RS, Moog S, Weiss B, Kaltenpoth M, Flórez LV. Morphological adaptation for ectosymbiont maintenance and transmission during metamorphosis in Lagria beetles. Front Physiol 2022; 13:979200. [PMID: 36111144 PMCID: PMC9468232 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.979200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity and success of holometabolous insects is partly driven by metamorphosis, which allows for the exploitation of different niches and decouples growth and tissue differentiation from reproduction. Despite its benefits, metamorphosis comes with the cost of temporal vulnerability during pupation and challenges associated with tissue reorganizations. These rearrangements can also affect the presence, abundance, and localization of beneficial microbes in the host. However, how symbionts are maintained or translocated during metamorphosis and which adaptations are necessary from each partner during this process remains unknown for the vast majority of symbiotic systems. Here, we show that Lagria beetles circumvent the constraints of metamorphosis by maintaining defensive symbionts on the surface in specialized cuticular structures. The symbionts are present in both sexes throughout larval development and during the pupal phase, in line with a protective role during the beetle’s immature stages. By comparing symbiont titer and morphology of the cuticular structures between sexes using qPCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and micro-computed tomography, we found that the organs likely play an important role as a symbiont reservoir for transmission to female adults, since symbiont titers and structures are reduced in male pupae. Using symbiont-sized fluorescent beads, we demonstrate transfer from the region of the dorsal symbiont-housing organs to the opening of the reproductive tract of adult females, suggesting that symbiont relocation on the outer surface is possible, even without specialized symbiont adaptations or motility. Our results illustrate a strategy for holometabolous insects to cope with the challenge of symbiont maintenance during metamorphosis via an external route, circumventing problems associated with internal tissue reorganization. Thereby, Lagria beetles keep a tight relationship with their beneficial partners during growth and metamorphosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka S. Janke
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Safira Moog
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Organismal Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Laura V. Flórez,
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9
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Pogue T, Malod K, Weldon CW. Patterns of Remating Behaviour in Ceratitis (Diptera: Tephritidae) Species of Varying Lifespan. Front Physiol 2022; 13:824768. [PMID: 35197865 PMCID: PMC8859485 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.824768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Trade-offs between life-history traits offset the energetic costs of maintaining fitness in complex environments. Ceratitis species have been recorded to have long lifespans, which may have evolved in response to seasonal resource fluctuation. It is thus likely that reproductive patterns have evolved concomitantly as part of the trade-off between lifespan and reproduction. In this study, we investigated how reproductive patterns differ between Ceratitis cosyra (Walker) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann; Diptera: Tephritidae), two species with different average and maximum lifespans. Females of both species were mated and patterns of female survival, fecundity, remating and sperm storage were tested. Ceratitis cosyra had a higher rate of survival and a lower fecundity when compared with the shorter-lived C. capitata, suggesting that both species exhibit a trade-off between lifespan and reproduction. Both species showed a similar and consistent willingness to remate, despite declines in sperm storage, suggesting that sperm alone does not fully inhibit remating. As expected, C. cosyra transferred high numbers of sperm during the first mating. However, sperm stores declined unexpectedly by 14 days. This indicates that males might transfer large ejaculates as a nuptial gift, that females then later degrade as a source of nutrients. Large declines in sperm storage may also indicate that females discard excess sperm stores due to the toxicity involved with storing sperm. These results do not suggest that patterns of sperm storage and remating align with lifespan and resource seasonality in these species, but a wider range of species needs to be assessed to better understand variation in Ceratitis mating systems.
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Abstract
Beetles are hosts to a remarkable diversity of bacterial symbionts. In this article, we review the role of these partnerships in promoting beetle fitness following a surge of recent studies characterizing symbiont localization and function across the Coleoptera. Symbiont contributions range from the supplementation of essential nutrients and digestive or detoxifying enzymes to the production of bioactive compounds providing defense against natural enemies. Insights on this functional diversity highlight how symbiosis can expand the host's ecological niche, but also constrain its evolutionary potential by promoting specialization. As bacterial localization can differ within and between beetle clades, we discuss how it corresponds to the microbe's beneficial role and outline the molecular and behavioral mechanisms underlying symbiont translocation and transmission by its holometabolous host. In reviewing this literature, we emphasize how the study of symbiosis can inform our understanding of the phenotypic innovations behind the evolutionary success of beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany;
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany;
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany
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11
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Kanyile SN, Engl T, Kaltenpoth M. Nutritional symbionts enhance structural defence against predation and fungal infection in a grain pest beetle. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:jeb243593. [PMID: 34854911 PMCID: PMC8778805 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Many insects benefit from bacterial symbionts that provide essential nutrients and thereby extend the hosts' adaptive potential and their ability to cope with challenging environments. However, the implications of nutritional symbioses for the hosts' defence against natural enemies remain largely unstudied. Here, we investigated whether the cuticle-enhancing nutritional symbiosis of the saw-toothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis confers protection against predation and fungal infection. We exposed age-defined symbiotic and symbiont-depleted (aposymbiotic) beetles to two antagonists that must actively penetrate the cuticle for a successful attack: wolf spiders (Lycosidae) and the fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana. While young beetles suffered from high predation and fungal infection rates regardless of symbiont presence, symbiotic beetles were able to escape this period of vulnerability and reach high survival probabilities significantly faster than aposymbiotic beetles. To understand the mechanistic basis of these differences, we conducted a time-series analysis of cuticle development in symbiotic and aposymbiotic beetles by measuring cuticular melanisation and thickness. The results reveal that the symbionts accelerate their host's cuticle formation and thereby enable it to quickly reach a cuticle quality threshold that confers structural protection against predation and fungal infection. Considering the widespread occurrence of cuticle enhancement via symbiont-mediated tyrosine supplementation in beetles and other insects, our findings demonstrate how nutritional symbioses can have important ecological implications reaching beyond the immediate nutrient-provisioning benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sthandiwe Nomthandazo Kanyile
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
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Whittle M, Barreaux AMG, Bonsall MB, Ponton F, English S. Insect-host control of obligate, intracellular symbiont density. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211993. [PMID: 34814751 PMCID: PMC8611330 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects rely on intracellular bacterial symbionts to supplement their specialized diets with micronutrients. Using data from diverse and well-studied insect systems, we propose three lines of evidence suggesting that hosts have tight control over the density of their obligate, intracellular bacterial partners. First, empirical studies have demonstrated that the within-host symbiont density varies depending on the nutritional and developmental requirements of the host. Second, symbiont genomes are highly reduced and have limited capacity for self-replication or transcriptional regulation. Third, several mechanisms exist for hosts to tolerate, regulate and remove symbionts including physical compartmentalization and autophagy. We then consider whether such regulation is adaptive, by discussing the relationship between symbiont density and host fitness. We discuss current limitations of empirical studies for exploring fitness effects in host-symbiont relationships, and emphasize the potential for using mathematical models to formalize evolutionary hypotheses and to generate testable predictions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilda Whittle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | | | - Michael B Bonsall
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.,St Peter's College, Oxford, OX1 2DL
| | - Fleur Ponton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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13
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Zhang S, Su H, Jiang W, Hu D, Ali I, Jin T, Yang Y, Ma X. Symbiotic microbial studies in diverse populations of Aphis gossypii, existing on altered host plants in different localities during different times. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13948-13960. [PMID: 34707830 PMCID: PMC8525075 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex interactions between symbiotic bacteria and insects ultimately result in equilibrium in all aspects of life in natural insect populations. In this study, abundance of principal symbiotic bacteria was estimated using qPCR in 1553 individuals of aphids, Aphis gossypii. Aphids were sampled from primary and secondary host plants-hibiscus and cotton. Hibiscus aphids were collected from 24 different locations in April, September, and November, whereas cotton aphids were collected between 2015 and 2017 from areas with wide variations in climatic conditions. About 30%-45% aphids were recorded with the most dominant symbiont, Arsenophonus. The other symbionts were in low frequency, and about 7% of aphids were noted with Hamiltonella, Acinetobacter, and Microbacterium, and 3% of aphids were verified with Serratia and Pseudomonas. Aphids infected with Hamiltonella, Arsenophonus, and Serratia can influence Buchnera densities. Hamiltonella has positive interaction with densities of Arsenophonus and Serratia. Almost 100% coinfection of Hamiltonella and Arsenophonus was detected in Xinxiang aphids and 50% coinfection was reported in aphids from North China, while no coinfection was detected in Hainan aphids. These findings describe the prevalence pattern and richness of core community of symbiotic bacteria in naturally occurring populations of A. gossypii and provide new insights for the study of symbiotic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Zhang
- School of Horticulture and Plant ProtectionYangzhou UniversityYangzhouChina
| | - Honghua Su
- School of Horticulture and Plant ProtectionYangzhou UniversityYangzhouChina
| | - Weili Jiang
- Basic Experimental Teaching Center of Life SciencesYangzhou UniversityYangzhouChina
| | - Daowu Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton BiologyInstitute of Cotton ResearchChinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesAnyangChina
| | - Intazar Ali
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment (FA & E)The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Baghdad ul‑jadeed CampusBahawalpurPakistan
| | - Tianxing Jin
- School of Horticulture and Plant ProtectionYangzhou UniversityYangzhouChina
| | - Yizhong Yang
- School of Horticulture and Plant ProtectionYangzhou UniversityYangzhouChina
| | - Xiaoyan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton BiologyInstitute of Cotton ResearchChinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesAnyangChina
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14
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Kiefer JST, Batsukh S, Bauer E, Hirota B, Weiss B, Wierz JC, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Inhibition of a nutritional endosymbiont by glyphosate abolishes mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Commun Biol 2021; 4:554. [PMID: 33976379 PMCID: PMC8113238 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02057-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glyphosate is widely used as a herbicide, but recent studies begin to reveal its detrimental side effects on animals by targeting the shikimate pathway of associated gut microorganisms. However, its impact on nutritional endosymbionts in insects remains poorly understood. Here, we sequenced the tiny, shikimate pathway encoding symbiont genome of the sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Decreased titers of the aromatic amino acid tyrosine in symbiont-depleted beetles underscore the symbionts' ability to synthesize prephenate as the precursor for host tyrosine synthesis and its importance for cuticle sclerotization and melanization. Glyphosate exposure inhibited symbiont establishment during host development and abolished the mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in adults, which could be partially rescued by dietary tyrosine supplementation. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses indicate that the shikimate pathways of many nutritional endosymbionts likewise contain a glyphosate sensitive 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. These findings highlight the importance of symbiont-mediated tyrosine supplementation for cuticle biosynthesis in insects, but also paint an alarming scenario regarding the use of glyphosate in light of recent declines in insect populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Suvdanselengee Batsukh
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Bin Hirota
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jürgen C Wierz
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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