scholarly journals The generalist parasitoid Nasonia vitripennis shows more behavioural plasticity in host preference than its three specialist sister species

Ethology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhevi Kalyanaraman ◽  
Jürgen Gadau ◽  
Mark Lammers
Keyword(s):  
Host Preference ◽  
Sister Species ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Nasonia Vitripennis

scholarly journals Differential gene expression is not required for facultative sex allocation: a transcriptome analysis of brain tissue in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 171718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Cook ◽  
Rebecca A. Boulton ◽  
Jade Green ◽  
Urmi Trivedi ◽  
Eran Tauber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Differential Gene Expression ◽  
Sex Allocation ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Nasonia Vitripennis ◽  
Offspring Sex Ratio ◽  
Differential Gene ◽  
Mechanistic Basis

Whole-transcriptome technologies have been widely used in behavioural genetics to identify genes associated with the performance of a behaviour and provide clues to its mechanistic basis. Here, we consider the genetic basis of sex allocation behaviour in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis . Female Nasonia facultatively vary their offspring sex ratio in line with Hamilton's theory of local mate competition (LMC). A single female or ‘foundress’ laying eggs on a patch will lay just enough sons to fertilize her daughters. As the number of ‘foundresses’ laying eggs on a patch increases (and LMC declines), females produce increasingly male-biased sex ratios. Phenotypic studies have revealed the cues females use to estimate the level of LMC their sons will experience, but our understanding of the genetics underlying sex allocation is limited. Here, we exposed females to three foundress number conditions, i.e. three LMC conditions, and allowed them to oviposit. mRNA was extracted from only the heads of these females to target the brain tissue. The subsequent RNA-seq experiment confirmed that differential gene expression is not associated with the response to sex allocation cues and that we must instead turn to the underlying neuroscience to reveal the underpinnings of this impressive behavioural plasticity.

Wolbachia impairs post-eclosion host preference in a parasitoid wasp

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouria Abrun ◽  
Ahmad Ashouri ◽  
Anne Duplouy ◽  
Hossein Kishani Farahani
Keyword(s):  
Host Preference ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp

scholarly journals Male behavioural plasticity depends on maternal mating status in the two-spotted spider mite

2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Oku ◽  
Tom P. G. van den Beuken
Keyword(s):  
Spider Mite ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Two Spotted Spider Mite

scholarly journals Temperament, Plasticity, and Emotions in Defensive Behaviour of Paca (Mammalia, Hystricognatha)

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
Selene S. C. Nogueira ◽  
Sérgio L. G. Nogueira-Filho ◽  
José M. B. Duarte ◽  
Michael Mendl
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Defensive Behaviour ◽  
Rapid Adaptation ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Judgement Bias ◽  
Temperament Dimension ◽  
Ambiguous Cue

Within a species, some individuals are better able to cope with threatening environments than others. Paca (Cuniculus paca) appear resilient to over-hunting by humans, which may be related to the behavioural plasticity shown by this species. To investigate this, we submitted captive pacas to temperament tests designed to assess individual responses to short challenges and judgement bias tests (JBT) to evaluate individuals’ affective states. Results indicated across-time and context stability in closely correlated “agitated”, “fearful” and “tense” responses; this temperament dimension was labelled “restless”. Individual “restless” scores predicted responses to novelty, although not to simulated chasing and capture by humans in a separate modified defence test battery (MDTB). Restless animals were more likely to show a greater proportion of positive responses to an ambiguous cue during JBT after the MDTB. Plasticity in defensive behaviour was inferred from changes in behavioural responses and apparently rapid adaptation to challenge in the different phases of the MDTB. The results indicate that both temperament and behavioural plasticity may play a role in influencing paca responses to risky situations. Therefore, our study highlights the importance of understanding the role of individual temperament traits and behavioural plasticity in order to better interpret the animals’ conservation status and vulnerabilities.

scholarly journals Single and Double Infections with Wolbachia in the Parasitic Wasp Nasonia vitripennis Effects on Compatibility

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
pp. 961-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Jeanne Perrot-Minnot ◽  
Li Rong Guo ◽  
John H Werren
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Dna ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Parasitic Wasp ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Nasonia Vitripennis ◽  
Larval Diapause ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Reproductive Incompatibility ◽  
Infected Line

Abstract Wolbachia are cytoplasmically inherited bacteria responsible for reproductive incompatibility in a wide range of insects. There has been little exploration, however, of within species Wolbachia polymorphisms and their effects on compatibility. Here we show that some strains of the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis are infected with two distinct bacterial strains (A and B) whereas others are singly infected (A or B). Double and single infections are confirmed by both PCR amplification and Southern analysis of genomic DNA. Furthermore, it is shown that prolonged larval diapause (the overwintering stage of the wasp) of a double-infected strain can lead to stochastic loss of one or both bacterial strains. After diapause of a double-infected line, sublines were produced with AB, A only, B only or no Wolbachia. A and B sublines are bidirectionally incompatible, whereas males from AB lines are unidirectionally incompatible with females of A and B sublines. Results therefore show rapid development of bidirectional incompatibility within a species due to segregation of associated symbiotic bacteria.

Neuromorphological disparity in deep-living sister species of the Antarctic fish genus Trematomus

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-334
Author(s):  
Joseph T. Eastman ◽  
Mario La Mesa
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Fish ◽  
Sister Species ◽  
The Antarctic
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