Olive fruit fly and its obligate symbiont Candidatus Erwinia dacicola: Two new symbiont haplotypes in the Mediterranean basin

The olive fruit fly, specialized to become monophagous during several life stages, remains the most important olive tree pest with high direct production losses, but also affecting the quality, composition, and inherent properties of the olives. Thought to have originated in Africa is nowadays present wherever olive groves are grown. The olive fruit fly evolved to harbor a vertically transmitted and obligate bacterial symbiont -Candidatus Erwinia dacicola- leading thus to a tight evolutionary history between olive tree, fruit fly and obligate, vertical transmitted symbiotic bacterium. Considering this linkage, the genetic diversity (at a 16S fragment) of this obligate symbiont was added in the understanding of the distribution pattern of the holobiont at nine locations throughout four countries in the Mediterranean Basin. This was complemented with mitochondrial (four mtDNA fragments) and nuclear (ten microsatellites) data of the host. We focused on the previously established Iberian cluster for the B. oleae structure and hypothesised that the Tunisian samples would fall into a differentiated cluster. From the host point of view, we were unable to confirm this hypothesis. Looking at the symbiont, however, two new 16S haplotypes were found exclusively in the populations from Tunisia. This finding is discussed in the frame of host-symbiont specificity and transmission mode. To understand olive fruit fly population diversity and dispersion, the dynamics of the symbiont also needs to be taken into consideration, as it enables the fly to, so efficiently and uniquely, exploit the olive fruit resource.

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On the senior authorship of Musca oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1714.1.7 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1714 (1) ◽

pp. 67 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

ALFIO RASPI ◽

GENNARO VIGGIANI

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Olive Fruit Fly ◽

Olive Fruit ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

The olive fruit fly is among the most serious pests of olive in the Mediterranean Basin and in 1998 the fly invaded North America, where the invasion was rapid and troublesome, mainly in California (Collier and Steenwyk, 2003).

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Bactrocera oleae (olive fruit fly).

10.1079/cpc.17689.20210102447 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

K Varikou

Keyword(s):

Olive Oil ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Oil Production ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Bactrocera Oleae ◽

Olive Fruit Fly ◽

Table Olives ◽

Olive Fruit ◽

Important Pest ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract B. oleae is considered the most important pest of cultivated olives, Olea europaea L., in many of the areas of the Mediterranean basin, affecting the quality and quantity of both olive oil and table olives (Michelakis and Neuenschwander, 1983; Manousis and Moore, 1987; Economopoulos, 2002). Unlike the fruits attacked by most other Bactrocera spp., olives containing larvae of B. oleae are frequently included in the harvested crop and subsequent oil production.

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Mediterranean Olive Orchards under Climate Change: A Review of Future Impacts and Adaptation Strategies

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11010056 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 56

Author(s):

Helder Fraga ◽

Marco Moriondo ◽

Luisa Leolini ◽

João A. Santos

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Olive Tree ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Projected Changes ◽

The Mediterranean Basin ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is an ancient traditional crop in the Mediterranean Basin. In the Mediterranean region, traditional olive orchards are distinguishable by their prevailing climatic conditions. Olive trees are indeed considered one of the most suitable and best-adapted species to the Mediterranean-type climate. However, new challenges are predicted to arise from climate change, threatening this traditional crop. The Mediterranean Basin is considered a climate change “hotspot,” as future projections hint at considerable warming and drying trends. Changes in olive tree suitability have already been reported over the last few decades. In this context, climate change may become particularly challenging for olive growers. The growing evidence for significant climate change in the upcoming decades urges adaptation measures to be taken. To effectively cope with the projected changes, both short and long-term adaptation strategies must be timely planned by the sector stakeholders and decision-makers to adapt for a warmer and dryer future. The current manuscript is devoted to illustrating the main impacts of climate change on olive tree cultivation in the Mediterranean Basin, by reviewing the most recent studies on this subject. Additionally, an analysis of possible adaptation strategies against the potentially negative impacts of climate change was also performed.

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Genetic flow among olive populations within the Mediterranean basin

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.5260 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e5260 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Valentina di Rienzo ◽

Sara Sion ◽

Francesca Taranto ◽

Nunzio D’Agostino ◽

Cinzia Montemurro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Genetic Resources ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Olive Tree ◽

Gene Pools ◽

The North ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

And Migration ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

Background The olive tree is a typical crop of the Mediterranean basin where it shows a wide diversity, accounting for more than 2,600 cultivars. The ability to discriminate olive cultivars and determine their genetic variability is pivotal for an optimal exploitation of olive genetic resources. Methods We investigated the genetic diversity within 128 olive accessions belonging to four countries in the Mediterranean Basin (Italy, Algeria, Syria, and Malta), with the purpose of better understanding the origin and spread of the olive genotypes across Mediterranean Basin countries. Eleven highly polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used and proved to be very informative, producing a total of 179 alleles. Results Cluster analysis distinguished three main groups according to their geographical origin, with the current sample of Maltese accessions included in the Italian group. Phylogenetic analysis further differentiated Italian and Maltese olive accessions, clarifying the intermediate position of Maltese accessions along the x/y-axes of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Model-based and neighbor clustering, PCoA, and migration analysis suggested the existence of two different gene pools (Algerian and Syrian) and that the genetic exchange occurred between the Syrian, Italian and Maltese populations. Discussion The close relationship between Syrian and Italian and Maltese olives was consistent with the historical domestication and migration of olive tree from the North Levant to eastern Mediterranean basin. This study lays the foundations for a better understanding of olive genetic diversity in the Mediterranean basin and represents a step toward an optimal conservation and exploitation of olive genetic resources.

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Allozyme variation of oleaster populations (wild olive tree) (Olea europaea L.) in the Mediterranean Basin

Heredity ◽

10.1038/sj.hdy.6800430 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 92 (4) ◽

pp. 343-351 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

R Lumaret ◽

N Ouazzani ◽

H Michaud ◽

G Vivier ◽

M-F Deguilloux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Olea Europaea ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Olive Tree ◽

Allozyme Variation ◽

Olea Europaea L ◽

Wild Olive ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin ◽

Olea Europaéa

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Functional genomics of a symbiotic community: shared traits in the olive fruit fly gut microbiota

10.1101/590489 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Frances Blow ◽

Anastasia Gioti ◽

Ian B. Goodhead ◽

Maria Kalyva ◽

Anastasia Kampouraki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Indirect Evidence ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Olive Fruit Fly ◽

Olive Fruit ◽

Dietary Nitrogen ◽

Obligate Symbiont ◽

Insect Gut ◽

Insect Fitness

AbstractThe olive fruit flyBactroceraoleae is a major pest of olives worldwide and houses a specialized gut microbiota dominated by the obligate symbiont “CandidatusErwinia dacicola”.Ca. E. dacicola is thought to supplement dietary nitrogen to the host, with only indirect evidence for this hypothesis so far. Here, we sought to investigate the contribution of the symbiosis to insect fitness and explore the ecology of the insect gut. For this purpose, we examined the composition of bacterial communities associated with Cretan olive fruit fly populations, and inspected several genome and transcriptome assemblies. We identified, and reconstructed the genome of, a novel component of the gut microbiota,Tatumellasp. TA1, which is stably associated with Mediterranean olive fruit fly populations. We also reconstructed a number of pathways related to nitrogen assimilation and interaction with the host. The results show that, despite variation in taxa composition of the gut microbial community, core functions related to the symbiosis are maintained. Functional redundancy between different microbial taxa was observed for genes allowing urea hydrolysis. The latter is encoded in the obligate symbiont genome by a conserved urease operon, likely acquired by horizontal gene transfer, based on phylogenetic evidence. A potential underlying mechanism is the action of mobile elements, especially abundant in theCa. E. dacicola genome. This finding, along with the identification, in the studied genomes, of extracellular surface structure components that may mediate interactions within the gut community, suggest that ongoing and past genetic exchanges between microbes may have shaped the symbiosis.

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Functional Genomics of a Symbiotic Community: Shared Traits in the Olive Fruit Fly Gut Microbiota

Genome Biology and Evolution ◽

10.1093/gbe/evz258 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 3778-3791 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Frances Blow ◽

Anastasia Gioti ◽

Ian B Goodhead ◽

Maria Kalyva ◽

Anastasia Kampouraki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Transcriptome Assembly ◽

Indirect Evidence ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Olive Fruit Fly ◽

Olive Fruit ◽

Dietary Nitrogen ◽

Obligate Symbiont ◽

Insect Gut

Abstract The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae is a major pest of olives worldwide and houses a specialized gut microbiota dominated by the obligate symbiont “Candidatus Erwinia dacicola.” Candidatus Erwinia dacicola is thought to supplement dietary nitrogen to the host, with only indirect evidence for this hypothesis so far. Here, we sought to investigate the contribution of the symbiosis to insect fitness and explore the ecology of the insect gut. For this purpose, we examined the composition of bacterial communities associated with Cretan olive fruit fly populations, and inspected several genomes and one transcriptome assembly. We identified, and reconstructed the genome of, a novel component of the gut microbiota, Tatumella sp. TA1, which is stably associated with Mediterranean olive fruit fly populations. We also reconstructed a number of pathways related to nitrogen assimilation and interactions with the host. The results show that, despite variation in taxa composition of the gut microbial community, core functions related to the symbiosis are maintained. Functional redundancy between different microbial taxa was observed for genes involved in urea hydrolysis. The latter is encoded in the obligate symbiont genome by a conserved urease operon, likely acquired by horizontal gene transfer, based on phylogenetic evidence. A potential underlying mechanism is the action of mobile elements, especially abundant in the Ca. E. dacicola genome. This finding, along with the identification, in the studied genomes, of extracellular surface structure components that may mediate interactions within the gut community, suggest that ongoing and past genetic exchanges between microbes may have shaped the symbiosis.

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Study of population dynamics of the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera, Tephritidae); (Rossi, 1790) in the Mezghenna area

Ukrainian Journal of Ecology ◽

10.15421/2019_96 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 309-314

Author(s):

A. Achouche ◽

F. Abbasi ◽

A. Benzahra ◽

Z. Djazouli

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Olive Tree ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Early Spring ◽

Bactrocera Oleae ◽

Olive Fruit Fly ◽

Olive Fruit ◽

Ongoing Work ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Individual Farm

The population dynamics of the Olive Fruit Fly in the Tell Atlas has been studied for two years (May 2017-April 2019) on all phases of olive tree growth. The test was installed on an individual farm in the Mezghenna region. It is part of the ongoing work to assess the damage caused by the diptera Bactrocera oleae. The objective of this study is to collect information on adult flight and to calculate the population index (FTD) . On the other hand, we studied the annual variation of this last. The results of this study show that the olive fruit fly population fluctuates over time and from one period to another in the study area; Overall, we recorded a low density of Bactrocera oleae during the first year of study (less than 0.08 flies / trap / day). In addition, in the second year, we observed 3 population peaks concentrated in autumn and early spring; the high temperatures of summer have a negative effect on the density of the Diptere.

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Methods for the Identification of Microclimates for Olive Fruit Fly

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9060337 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 337

Author(s):

Romanos Kalamatianos ◽

Ioannis Karydis ◽

Markos Avlonitis

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Real Life ◽

Qualitative Evaluation ◽

Real Data ◽

Olive Tree ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Olive Fruit Fly ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Olive Fruit ◽

Wide Range

The support and development of the primary agri-food sector is receiving increasing attention. The complexity of modern farming issues has lead to the widespread penetration of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Decision Support Systems (DSS). IPM DSSs are heavily dependent on numerous conditions of the agro-ecological environment used for cultivation. To test and validate IPM DSSs, permanent crops, such as olive cultivation, are very important, thus this work focuses on the pest that is most potentially harmful to the olive tree and fruit: the olive fruit fly. Existing research has indicated a strong dependency on both temperature and relative humidity of the olive fruit fly’s population dynamics but has not focused on the localised environmental/climate conditions (microclimates) related to the pest’s life-cycle. Accordingly, herein we utilise a collection of a wide-range of integrated sensory and manually tagged datasets of environmental, climate and pest information. We then propose an effective and efficient two-stage assignment of sensory records into clusters representing microclimates related to the pest’s life-cycle, based on statistical data analysis and neural networks. Extensive experimentation using the two methods was applied and the results were very promising for both parts of the proposed methodology. The identified microclimates in the experimentation were shown to be consistent with intuitive and real data collected in the field, while their qualitative evaluation also indicates the applicability of the proposed method to real-life uses.

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