Towards unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

Abstract Background Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential routes for the horizontal transfer of Wolbachia within natural insect communities. These routes are however likely to act only at the local scale, but how they may support the global distribution of some Wolbachia strains remains unclear. Results Here, we characterize the Wolbachia diversity in butterflies from the tropical forest regions of central Africa to discuss transfer at both local and global scales. We show that numerous species from both the Mylothris (family Pieridae) and Bicyclus (family Nymphalidae) butterfly genera are infected with similar Wolbachia strains, despite only minor interclade contacts across the life cycles of the species within their partially overlapping ecological niches. The phylogenetic distance and differences in resource use between these genera rule out the role of ancestry, hybridization, and shared host-plants in the interspecies transfer of the symbiont. Furthermore, we could not identify any shared ecological factors to explain the presence of the strains in other arthropod species from other habitats, or even ecoregions. Conclusion Only the systematic surveys of the Wolbachia strains from entire species communities may offer the material currently lacking for understanding how Wolbachia may transfer between highly different and unrelated hosts, as well as across environmental scales.

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Unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

10.21203/rs.3.rs-43538/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Anne Duplouy ◽

Robin Pranter ◽

Haydon Warren-Gash ◽

Robert Tropek ◽

Niklas Wahlberg

Keyword(s):

Central Africa ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Phylogenetic Distance ◽

Insect Communities ◽

Arthropod Species ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Forest Regions ◽

Global Exchange

Abstract Background Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential routes for the horizontal transfer of Wolbachia within natural insect communities. These routes are however likely to act only at the local scale, but how they may support the global distribution of some Wolbachia strains remains unclear. Results Here, we characterize the Wolbachia diversity in butterflies from the tropical forest regions of central Africa to discuss transfer at both local and global scales. We show that numerous species from both the Mylothris (family Pieridae) and Bicyclus (family Nymphalidae) butterfly genera are infected with similar Wolbachia strains, this despite only minor interclade contacts across the life cycles of the species within their partially overlapping ecological niches. The phylogenetic distance and differences in resource use between these genera rule out the role of ancestry, hybridization, and shared host-plants in the interspecies transfer of the symbiont. Furthermore, we could not identify any shared ecological factors to explain the presence of the strains in other arthropod species from other habitats, or even ecoregions. Conclusion Only the systematic surveys of the Wolbachia strains from entire species communities may offer the material currently lacking for understanding how Wolbachia may transfer between highly different and unrelated hosts, as well as across environmental scales.

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Towards unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

BMC Microbiology ◽

10.1186/s12866-020-02011-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anne Duplouy ◽

Robin Pranter ◽

Haydon Warren-Gash ◽

Robert Tropek ◽

Niklas Wahlberg

Keyword(s):

Central Africa ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Phylogenetic Distance ◽

Insect Communities ◽

Arthropod Species ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Forest Regions ◽

Global Exchange

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Towards unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

10.21203/rs.3.rs-43538/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Anne Duplouy ◽

Robin Pranter ◽

Haydon Warren-Gash ◽

Robert Tropek ◽

Niklas Wahlberg

Keyword(s):

Central Africa ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Phylogenetic Distance ◽

Insect Communities ◽

Arthropod Species ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Forest Regions ◽

Global Exchange

Abstract BackgroundPhylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential routes for the horizontal transfer of Wolbachia within natural insect communities. These routes are however likely to act only at the local scale, but how they may support the global distribution of some Wolbachia strains remains unclear.ResultsHere, we characterize the Wolbachia diversity in butterflies from the tropical forest regions of central Africa to discuss transfer at both local and global scales. We show that numerous species from both the Mylothris (family Pieridae) and Bicyclus (family Nymphalidae) butterfly genera are infected with similar Wolbachia strains, despite only minor interclade contacts across the life cycles of the species within their partially overlapping ecological niches. The phylogenetic distance and differences in resource use between these genera rule out the role of ancestry, hybridization, and shared host-plants in the interspecies transfer of the symbiont. Furthermore, we could not identify any shared ecological factors to explain the presence of the strains in other arthropod species from other habitats, or even ecoregions.ConclusionOnly the systematic surveys of the Wolbachia strains from entire species communities may offer the material currently lacking for understanding how Wolbachia may transfer between highly different and unrelated hosts, as well as across environmental scales.

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Leeches as the intermediate host for strigeid trematodes: genetic diversity and taxonomy of the genera Australapatemon Sudarikov, 1959 and Cotylurus Szidat, 1928

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04538-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ewa Pyrka ◽

Gerard Kanarek ◽

Grzegorz Zaleśny ◽

Joanna Hildebrand

Keyword(s):

Intermediate Host ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Coi Gene ◽

Small Rivers ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Its2 Region ◽

28S Rrna ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Internal Transcribed Spacer Region ◽

Wide Range

Abstract Background Leeches (Hirudinida) play a significant role as intermediate hosts in the circulation of trematodes in the aquatic environment. However, species richness and the molecular diversity and phylogeny of larval stages of strigeid trematodes (tetracotyle) occurring in this group of aquatic invertebrates remain poorly understood. Here, we report our use of recently obtained sequences of several molecular markers to analyse some aspects of the ecology, taxonomy and phylogeny of the genera Australapatemon and Cotylurus, which utilise leeches as intermediate hosts. Methods From April 2017 to September 2018, 153 leeches were collected from several sampling stations in small rivers with slow-flowing waters and related drainage canals located in three regions of Poland. The distinctive forms of tetracotyle metacercariae collected from leeches supplemented with adult Strigeidae specimens sampled from a wide range of water birds were analysed using the 28S rDNA partial gene, the second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) region and the cytochrome c oxidase (COI) fragment. Results Among investigated leeches, metacercariae of the tetracotyle type were detected in the parenchyma and musculature of 62 specimens (prevalence 40.5%) with a mean intensity reaching 19.9 individuals. The taxonomic generic affiliation of metacercariae derived from the leeches revealed the occurrence of two strigeid genera: Australapatemon Sudarikov, 1959 and Cotylurus Szidat, 1928. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on the partial 28S rRNA gene, ITS2 region and partial COI gene confirmed the separation of the Australapatemon and Cotylurus clades. Taking currently available molecular data and our results into consideration, recently sequenced tetracotyle of Australapatemon represents most probably Au. minor; however, unclear phylogenetic relationships between Au. burti and Au. minor reduce the reliability of this conclusion. On the other hand, on the basis of the obtained sequences, supplemented with previously published data, the metacercariae of Cotylurus detected in leeches were identified as two species: C. strigeoides Dubois, 1958 and C. syrius Dubois, 1934. This is the first record of C. syrius from the intermediate host. Conclusions The results of this study suggest the separation of ecological niches and life cycles between C. cornutus (Rudolphi, 1808) and C. strigeoides/C. syrius, with potential serious evolutionary consequences for a wide range of host–parasite relationships. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses corroborated the polyphyletic character of C. syrius, the unclear status of C. cornutus and the separate position of Cotylurus raabei Bezubik, 1958 within Cotylurus. The data demonstrate the inconsistent taxonomic status of the sequenced tetracotyle of Australapatemon, resulting, in our opinion, from the limited availability of fully reliable, comparative sequences of related taxa in GenBank.

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Metabarcoding Malaise traps and soil eDNA reveals seasonal and local arthropod diversity shifts

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89950-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ameli Kirse ◽

Sarah J. Bourlat ◽

Kathrin Langen ◽

Vera G. Fonseca

Keyword(s):

Habitat Preferences ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Turnover Rates ◽

Arthropod Diversity ◽

Arthropod Species ◽

Species Overlap ◽

Below Ground ◽

Phenological Shifts ◽

Malaise Traps

AbstractForest habitats host enormous diversity, but little is known about the seasonal turnover of arthropod species between the above- and below ground forest layers. In this study, we used metabarcoding approaches to uncover arthropod diversity in different forest types and seasons. Our study shows that metabarcoding soil eDNA and Malaise trap bulk samples can provide valuable insights into the phenology and life cycles of arthropods. We found major differences in arthropod species diversity between soil samples and Malaise traps, with only 11.8% species overlap. Higher diversity levels were found in Malaise traps in summer whereas soil samples showed a diversity peak in winter, highlighting the seasonal habitat preferences and life strategies of arthropods. We conclude that collecting time series of bulk arthropod samples and eDNA in the same locations provides a more complete picture of local arthropod diversity and turnover rates and may provide valuable information on climate induced phenological shifts for long-term monitoring.

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Mercury in Macroinvertebrates from Swedish Forest Lakes: Influence of Lake Type, Habitat, Life Cycle, and Food Quality

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f93-061 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 521-534 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Helena Parkman ◽

Markus Meili

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Food Quality ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

Sediment Chemistry ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Forest Lakes

Mercury concentrations in lacustrine macroinvertebrates were concurrently studied in eight remote Swedish forest lakes of differing dystrophy, acidity, and eutrophy. The aim was to assess the influence of ecological factors (taxon, habitat, and feeding habits), chemical factors (characterizing different types of lakes), and regional and climatic factors (Hg deposition and mean temperature) on the accumulation of Hg. Concentrations varied from <50 to >5000 ng Hg∙g dry weight−1. A large part of this high variability could be ascribed to differences in water and sediment chemistry, ecological niches, and species-specific seasonalities. Both taxonomic composition and Hg concentrations were highly dependent on the type of lake. Concentrations were highest in acidic dystrophic lakes and lowest in oligotrophic lakes. Mean Hg concentrations in the examined taxa within a lake differed 100-fold. Contrary to widely held views on biomagnification, the lowest concentrations among profundal chironomids were found in predators whereas the highest concentrations occurred in detritivores. Seasonal variations were negligible in some taxa but considerable in others and appeared in some taxa to be related to the life cycle. We conclude that Hg accumulation in macroinvertebrates is largely determined by feeding behaviour and food quality.

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On the bionomics ofCrepidostomum metoecus(Braun, 1900) andCrepidostomum farionis(Müller, 1784) (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae)

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182000069341 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 307-324 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

J. B. E. Awachie

Keyword(s):

Salmo Trutta ◽

Time Lag ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Trophic Factors ◽

Annual Cycles ◽

Cottus Gobio ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

North Wales ◽

History Of

The life-cycles of the two species ofCrepidostomumoccurring in a stream in North Wales are investigated. Both species share the same arthropod and definitive hosts, viz.Gammarus pulexandSalmo trutta, respectively, but have different molluscan hosts, viz.:Lymnaea peregraforC. metoecusandPisidium casertanumforC. farionis.C. metoecusandC. farionishave annual cycles, hence periodicity of occurrence in their hosts. InC. metoecusthe dynamics of occurrence in the three hosts are correlated. The inverse relationship inG. pulexandS. truttaas well as the existence of a time-lag of 3–4 months between the establishment of this worm inG. pulexand inS. truttaare discussed.Neither premunition nor age-resistance occurs in the parasitization ofS. truttaandG. pulexbyC. metoecus. The increase in the rate and degree of infestation with the age and length of fish, except in the oldest and longest group, is shown to be due to trophic factors.C. metoecusis more abundant and widely distributed in the stream thanC. farionis. This fact is associated with the occurrence of their molluscan hosts.Experimental observations were made on the stages in the life-history ofC. metoecus, including the mode of emergence of the cercaria, invasion of shrimps and encystment, as well as development of the metacercariae inG. pulex.More cercariae are shed by day and at higher temperatures, and they live for about 5 days at 8 °C. The metacercaria undergoes considerable development before becoming infective.C. metoecusdoes extensive damage toL. peregra, has no observed ill-effect on trout, and apparently affects the life-span of shrimps adversely only in cases of very heavy infestations.The non-parasitization ofCottus gobioby the two flukes is probably due to the prevailing ecological factors.My thanks are due to Professor H. B. N. Hynes and Dr J. C. Chubb for many helpful criticisms at all stages of this study; to Miss Joan Venn for helping with the sampling programme; and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom for financial support.

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ДОЛГОВРЕМЕННАЯ ДИНАМИКА ОСНОВНЫХ КОМПОНЕНТОВ ЭКОСИСТЕМЫ ОЗЕРА КУЭТСЪЯРВИ (СИСТЕМА РЕКИ ПАСВИК, МУРМАНСКАЯ ОБЛАСТЬ)

Биосфера ◽

10.24855/biosfera.v11i4.513 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Е.М. Зубова ◽

Н.А. Кашулин ◽

В.А. Даувальтер ◽

Д.Б. Денисов ◽

С.А. Валькова ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Polluted Water ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Murmansk Oblast ◽

Sympatric Forms ◽

Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽

Taxonomic Groups

The lake Kuotsjarvi (lower course of Pasvik River, Murmansk Oblast) is located in the borderline territory between Russia and Norway. It one of the most polluted water bodies of European Arctic. Because of the the metallurgic plant Pechenganikel located at the coast of the lake is the source, water and bottom sediments of the lake contain extremely high levels of heavy metals. Long-term comprehensive studies of the ecosystem of the lake revealed that the responses of its ecosystem to global and regional environmental and climatic changes include an increasing toxicity and eutrophication of lake water, decreasing number of stenobiont aqueous species and increasing numbers of ubiquistic and invasive species. The present-time communities in the lake developed as results of interactions between long-term changes in abiotic and biotic factors. Pollution with heavy metals, which lasts since 1990-ies, resulted in the development of communities of species that are tolerant to this impact and are able to maintain their abundance. Adaptations of the communities to changes in their environments are manifested as changes in their species compositions, in proportions of different taxonomic groups, and structures of their populations. In particular, whitefish is able to remain the dominant species and sustain its populations due to development of sympatric forms differing in their ecological niches, morphological features, and life cycle strategies, including transition to shorter life cycles. At difference from changes at the levels of organisms, responses of populations and communities to medium-term environmental changes are more inertial and less specific.

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Host phylogeny and ecological associations best explain Wolbachia host shifts in scale insects

10.1101/2021.10.01.462721 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ehsan Sanaei ◽

Gregory F Albery ◽

Yun Kit Yeoh ◽

Yen-Po Lin ◽

Lyn G Cook ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mixed Model ◽

Amplicon Sequencing ◽

Host Shift ◽

Scale Insect ◽

Scale Insects ◽

Phylogenetic Distance ◽

New Host ◽

Host Shifts ◽

Arthropod Species ◽

Host Phylogeny

AbstractWolbachia are among the most prevalent and widespread endosymbiotic bacteria on earth. Wolbachia’ s success in infecting an enormous number of arthropod species is attributed to two features: the range of phenotypes they induce in their hosts, and their ability to switch to new host species. Whilst much progress has been made in elucidating the phenotypes induced by Wolbachia, our understanding of Wolbachia host shifting is still very limited: we lack answers to even fundamental questions concerning Wolbachia’s routes of transfer and the importance of factors influencing host shifts. Here, we investigate the diversity and host-shift patterns of Wolbachia in scale insects, a group of arthropods with intimate associations with other insects that make them well-suited to studying host shifts. Using Illumina pooled amplicon sequencing of Wolbachia-infected scale insects and their direct associates we determined the identity of all Wolbachia strains, revealing that 32% of samples were multiply infected (with up to five distinct strains per species). We then fitted a Generalised Additive Mixed Model (GAMM) to our data to estimate the influence of factors such as the host phylogeny and the geographic distribution of each species on Wolbachia strain sharing among scale insect species. The model predicts no significant contribution of host geography but strong effects of host phylogeny, with high rates of Wolbachia sharing among closely related species and a sudden drop-off in sharing with increasing phylogenetic distance. We also detected the same Wolbachia strain in scale insects and several intimately associated species (ants, wasps, beetles, and flies). This indicates putative host shifts and potential routes of transfers via these associates and highlights the importance of ecological connectivity in Wolbachia host-shifting.

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Integrating African Markets into the Global Exchange of Services: A Central African Perspective

The Law and Development Review ◽

10.1515/ldr-2013-0026 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Regis Y. Simo

Keyword(s):

Economic Integration ◽

Central Africa ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Trade Bloc ◽

African Perspective ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Global Exchange ◽

Enabling Clause ◽

Development Prospects

AbstractServices liberalisation has gradually become very important for growth in developed and less-developed countries alike and can, as such, be seen as development prospects for sub-Saharan Africa where numerous economic integration attempts are stories of repeated failures. Despite the abundant literature on PTAs, however, little attention has been given to Central Africa Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) as a trade bloc. This is an attempt to address that dearth.At a time when “boosting intra-African trade” is gaining currency on the continent, this article tests the compatibility of the potential CEMAC economic integration agreement (EIA) against the background of the existing framework and argues that Central Africa countries would be in a better position to integrate their economies after widening the borders of their individually tiny markets. Analysing the legal discipline behind services Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and how CEMAC’s agreement fits into this legal landscape, this article further advocates that this sub-group of countries should go beyond the Enabling Clause self-contentment and embark on a deeper (and comprehensive) integration.

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