scholarly journals Establishment and maintenance of aphid endosymbionts after horizontal transfer is dependent on host genotype

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 20170016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Parker ◽  
Ailsa H. C. McLean ◽  
Jan Hrček ◽  
Nicole M. Gerardo ◽  
H. Charles J. Godfray
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Intraspecific Variation ◽  
Horizontal Transfer ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Host Genotype ◽  
Pea Aphids

Animal-associated microbial communities have important effects on host phenotypes. Individuals within and among species differ in the strains and species of microbes that they harbour, but how natural selection shapes the distribution and abundance of symbionts in natural populations is not well understood. Symbionts can be beneficial in certain environments but also impose costs on their hosts. Consequently, individuals that can or cannot associate with symbionts will be favoured under different ecological circumstances. As a result, we predict that individuals within a species vary in terms of how well they accept and maintain symbionts. In pea aphids, the frequency of endosymbionts varies among host-plant-associated populations (‘biotypes’). We show that aphid genotypes from different biotypes vary in how well they accept and maintain symbionts after horizontal transfer. We find that aphids from biotypes that frequently harbour symbionts are better able to associate with novel symbionts than those from biotypes that less frequently harbour symbionts. Intraspecific variation in the ability of hosts to interact with symbionts is an understudied factor explaining patterns of host–symbiont association.

scholarly journals Variation in Melitaea cinxia gut microbiota is phylogenetically highly structured but only mildly driven by host plant microbiota, sex or parasitism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Minard ◽  
G Tikhonov ◽  
O. Ovaskainen ◽  
M. Saastamoinen
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Melitaea Cinxia ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Plant Microbiota ◽  
The Impact

Originality-Significance StatementThe factors contributing to the assembly of microbiota in animals are extremely complex, and thus a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms shaping host-associated microbial communities in natural ecosystems requires extensive ecological studies and appropriate statistical methods. In this study, we investigated the bacterial microbiota associated with the caterpillars of the Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia), which is a long-term-studied ecological model system. We assessed the structure of variation in both occurrence and abundance of gut microbial communities of individuals collected in the wild with joint-species modelling, with the aim to relate the microbial community structure with multiple potentially impacting covariates: host plant microbiota and metabolites, hosts’ sex, potential parasitoid infection, and family structure. These covariates exhibited substantial correlation with multiple microbial taxa’s occurrences, which correlations were consistent for phylogenetically related groups of taxa, but varied across the whole microbial community; on the contrary, only few correlations were found with taxa’s abundances. The dominating co-occurrence pattern of microbiota assembly, which effectively split caterpillar individuals into two distinct groups, was, however, unrelated to any of the considered covariates.SummaryUnderstanding of what ecological factors shape intraspecific variation of insect microbiota is still relatively poor. In Lepidopteran caterpillars, microbiota is assumed to be mainly composed of transient bacterial symbionts acquired from the host plant. We sampled Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) caterpillars from natural populations to describe the microbiome and to identify potential factors that determine the structure of the microbial community, including the sex of the host, the impact of parasitoid infection, and the possible link between host plant and caterpillar microbiota. Our results demonstrate high variability of microbiota composition even among caterpillars that shared the same host plant individual. The observed variation in microbiota composition is partially attributed to the measured properties of the host or its plant microbial and chemical composition, and is aligned with microbial phylogenetic structure, with related taxa exhibiting similar patterns. However, the prevailing part of the observed variation was not associated with any of the assessed characteristics, although it followed a pronounced segregation structure: in some caterpillars the microbial communities were dominated by several related Enterobacteriaceae taxa, while in others these taxa were absent. Our results challenge previous findings that the host plant properties are the major drivers of microbiota communities of insect herbivores.

Specific features of long-term domestication of australian crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus in conditions of the western part of Russian Federation

2018 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 188-192
Author(s):  
D. I. Shokasheva
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Cherax Quadricarinatus ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Adaptive Ability

Natural populations of crayfish are in depression in Russia and local species are not cultivated. In this situation, experimental cultivation of allochtonous australian crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus is conducted. This species is distinguished by high reproductive abilities and good consumer properties. It has domesticated in Russia spontaneously and produced 9–10 generations in Astrakhan Region. Certain natural selection in the process of domestication provides adaptive ability of this species to local environments and its capabil­ity to reproduce a viable progeny, so there is no doubts in good prospects of its cultivation in industrial conditions.

Effect of SnTOX effectors on the virulence degree of Stagonospora nodorum isolates

Biomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-351
Author(s):  
S.V. Veselova ◽  
G.F. Burkhanova ◽  
S.D. Rumyantsev ◽  
T.V. Nuzhnaya
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Susceptibility Gene ◽  
Stagonospora Nodorum ◽  
Quantitative Composition ◽  
Host Genotype ◽  
Mrna Accumulation ◽  
Gene System ◽  
Compatible Interactions ◽  
Gene For Gene

Stagonospora nodorum Berk. is the causal agent of Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). It synthesizes host-specific necrotrophic effectors (NEs), which facilitate infection process and ensure virulence of pathogen on host plant with a dominant susceptibility gene. The interaction of virulence genes products of the NEs pathogen (SnTox) with susceptibility genes products of the host plant (Snn) in the S. nodorum - wheat pathosystem is carried out in inverted gene-for-gene system and causes the development of disease. In this study, we tested three main NEs SnToxA, SnTox1, SnTox3, which have already been identified in S. nodorum at the gene level. The NEs role in the development of SNB has already been proven; however, the overall host response to SNB does not always strictly follow the inverted gene-for-gene system, as multiple SnTox-Snn interactions can be additive or epistatic. In this regard, the aim of the work was to identify the NE genes in three S. nodorum isolates and to study effect of NEs genes transcriptional activity on the isolate virulence. We have shown that all three NEs SnToxA, SnTox3 and SnTox1 played an important role in the development of the disease in compatible interactions. Effectors SnTox3 and SnTox1 exhibited epistatic interaction that was removed by a triple compatible interaction (SnTox3-Snn3, SnToxA-Tsn1 and SnTox1-Snn1). This effect was shown by us for the first time. The mechanisms of epistatic and additive interactions, as well as the virulence of the isolate were associated with the regulation of the NEs genes transcriptional activity. The avirulent isolate Sn4VD lacked transcription of all three NEs genes, and the virulent isolate Sn9MH was characterized by a high level of mRNA accumulation of all three NEs genes during infection on susceptible cultivar. We also showed that SnTox expression depended both on the host genotype in SnToxA and SnTox3 and on the number of compatible interactions exhibiting additive or epistatic interactions in SnTox1 and SnTox3. Finally, the virulence of the S. nodorum isolate depended on the qualitative and quantitative composition of NEs.

scholarly journals GENETIC LOAD IN NATURAL POPULATIONS: IS IT COMPATIBLE WITH THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MANY POLYMORPHISMS ARE MAINTAINED BY NATURAL SELECTION?

Genetics ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-589
Author(s):  
Martin L Tracey ◽  
Francisco J Ayala
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Natural Population ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Genetic Load ◽  
Structural Genes ◽  
Invertebrate Species ◽  
Average Proportion ◽  
Mean Fitness ◽  
The Mean

ABSTRACT Recent studies of genetically controlled enzyme variation lead to an estimation that at least 30 to 60% of the structural genes are polymorphic in natural populations of many vertebrate and invertebrate species. Some authors have argued that a substantial proportion of these polymorphisms cannot be maintained by natural selection because this would result in an unbearable genetic load. If many polymorphisms are maintained by heterotic natural selection, individuals with much greater than average proportion of homozygous loci should have very low fitness. We have measured in Drosophila melanogaster the fitness of flies homozygous for a complete chromosome relative to normal wild flies. A total of 37 chromosomes from a natural population have been tested using 92 experimental populations. The mean fitness of homozygous flies is 0.12 for second chromosomes, and 0.13 for third chromosomes. These estimates are compatible with the hypothesis that many (more than one thousand) loci are maintained by heterotic selection in natural populations of D. melanogaster.

scholarly journals Parasite variation and the evolution of virulence in a Daphnia-microparasite system

Parasitology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. LITTLE ◽  
W. CHADWICK ◽  
K. WATT
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Genetic Relationships ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Host Genotype ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Relative Growth Rates ◽  
Pasteuria Ramosa ◽  
Evolution Of Virulence

SUMMARYUnderstanding genetic relationships amongst the life-history traits of parasites is crucial for testing hypotheses on the evolution of virulence. This study therefore examined variation between parasite isolates (the bacterium Pasteuria ramosa) from the crustacean Daphnia magna. From a single wild-caught infected host we obtained 2 P. ramosa isolates that differed substantially in the mortality they caused. Surprisingly, the isolate causing higher early mortality was, on average, less successful at establishing infections and had a slower growth rate within hosts. The observation that within-host replication rate was negatively correlated with mortality could violate a central assumption of the trade-off hypothesis for the evolution of virulence, but we discuss a number of caveats which caution against premature rejection of the trade-off hypothesis. We sought to test if the characteristics of these parasite isolates were constant across host genotypes in a second experiment that included 2 Daphnia host clones. The relative growth rates of the two parasite isolates did indeed depend on the host genotype (although the rank order did not change). We suggest that testing evolutionary hypotheses for virulence may require substantial sampling of both host and parasite genetic variation, and discuss how selection for virulence may change with the epidemiological state of natural populations and how this can promote genetic variation for virulence.

Laboratory comparison of the relative success of Biomphalaria glabrata stocks which are susceptible and insusceptible to infection with Schistosoma mansoni

Parasitology ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Minchella ◽  
P. T. Loverde
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Biomphalaria Glabrata ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Controlled Conditions ◽  
Plausible Answer ◽  
Major Objection ◽  
Transmit Disease

SUMMARYA method of interrupting the life-cycle of the human blood fluke Schistosoma by increasing the proportion of genetically insusceptible intermediate host snails in natural populations was first proposed nearly 25 years ago. The method assumes that insusceptible snails will be at a selective advantage over susceptible snails when the schistosome parasite is present, and therefore natural selection will act to increase the proportion of alleles for insusceptibility. A major objection to the proposed technique is ‘If insusceptible snails are at a selective advantage, then why are they not predominant in natural populations that transmit disease?’ One explanation of this paradox is that insusceptibility may be associated with a disadvantageous character or a physiological defect. This study tests this hypothesis by measuring the relative reproductive success of susceptible and insusceptible snails under controlled conditions. Results indicate that insusceptible (unsuitable) snails are negatively affected in the presence of either susceptible snails or schistosome parasites. Furthermore, in the presence of both susceptible snails and schistosome parasites, insusceptible snails are selectively disadvantaged compared to susceptible snails. These results obtained under laboratory-controlled conditions suggest a plausible answer as to why insusceptible snails are not predominant in natural populations that transmit disease.

scholarly journals Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Parker ◽  
Jan Hrček ◽  
Ailsa H.C. McLean ◽  
Jennifer A. Brisson ◽  
H. Charles J. Godfray
Keyword(s):  
Intraspecific Variation ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Acyrthosiphon Pisum ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Pea Aphid ◽  
Optimal Density ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Standing Variation ◽  
Dramatic Decline

AbstractMany insects host vertically-transmitted microbes, which can confer benefits to their hosts but are costly to maintain and regulate. A key feature of these symbioses is variation: for example, symbiont density can vary among host and symbiont genotypes. However, the evolutionary forces maintaining this variation remain unclear. We studied variation in symbiont density using the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and the bacterium Regiella insecticola, a symbiont that can protect its host against fungal pathogens. We found that relative symbiont density varies both between two Regiella phylogenetic clades and among aphid ‘biotypes’. Higher-density symbiont infections are correlated with stronger survival costs, but variation in density has little effect on the protection Regiella provides against fungus. Instead, we found that in some aphid genotypes, a dramatic decline in symbiont density precedes the loss of a symbiont infection. Together, our data suggest that the optimal density of a symbiont infection is likely different from the perspective of aphid and microbial fitness. Regiella might prevent loss by maintaining high within-host densities, but hosts do not appear to benefit from higher symbiont numbers and may be advantaged by losing costly symbionts in certain environments. The standing variation in symbiont density observed in natural populations could therefore be maintained by antagonistic coevolutionary interactions between hosts and their symbiotic microbes.

scholarly journals Two different epigenetic pathways detected in wild three-spined sticklebacks are involved in salinity adaptation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie J. Heckwolf ◽  
Britta S. Meyer ◽  
Robert Häsler ◽  
Marc P. Höppner ◽  
Christophe Eizaguirre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Epigenetic Marks ◽  
Transgenerational Plasticity ◽  
The Face ◽  
Adaptation Processes ◽  
Methylation Patterns ◽  
Rapid Emergence

AbstractWhile environmentally inducible epigenetic marks are discussed as one mechanism of transgenerational plasticity, environmentally stable epigenetic marks emerge randomly. When resulting in variable phenotypes, stable marks can be targets of natural selection analogous to DNA sequence-based adaptation processes. We studied both postulated pathways in natural populations of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and sequenced their methylomes and genomes across a salinity cline. Consistent with local adaptation, populations showed differential methylation (pop-DMS) at genes enriched for osmoregulatory processes. In a two-generation experiment, 62% of these pop-DMS were insensitive to salinity manipulation, suggesting that they could be stable targets for natural selection. Two-thirds of the remaining inducible pop-DMS became more similar to patterns detected in wild populations from the corresponding salinity, and this pattern accentuated over consecutive generations, indicating a mechanism of adaptive transgenerational plasticity. Natural DNA methylation patterns can thus be attributed to two epigenetic pathways underlying the rapid emergence of adaptive phenotypes in the face of environmental change.

scholarly journals Drop when the stakes are high: adaptive, flexible use of dropping behaviour by aphids

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Rosalind K. Humphreys ◽  
Graeme D. Ruxton ◽  
Alison J. Karley
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Acyrthosiphon Pisum ◽  
Adalia Bipunctata ◽  
Macrosiphum Euphorbiae ◽  
Herbivorous Insects ◽  
Chrysoperla Carnea ◽  
Pea Aphids ◽  
Potato Aphids ◽  
Antipredator Defence

Abstract For herbivorous insects, dropping from the host plant is a commonly-observed antipredator defence. The use of dropping compared to other behaviours and its timing in relation to contact with a predator was explored in both pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and potato aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae). Pea aphids dropped more frequently in response to ladybird adults (Adalia bipunctata) than lacewing larvae (Chrysoperla carnea). Potato aphids mainly walked away or backed-up in response to both predator types; but they dropped more frequently relative to other non-walking defences when faced with ladybird adults. Contact with a predator was an important influencer of dropping for both species, and most drops occurred from adjacent to the predator. Dropping appears to be a defence adaptively deployed only when the risk of imminent predation is high; factors that increase dropping likelihood include presence of faster-foraging predators such as adult ladybirds, predator proximity, and contact between aphid and predator.

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