Infections with Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, and Rickettsia in the Dolichopodidae and other Empidoidea

Martin, Oliver Y.; Puniamoorthy, Nalini; Gubler, Andrea; Wimmer, Corinne; Bernasconi, Marco Valerio

doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2012.11.005

Cited by 20 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…A previous study [31] that screened for Rickettsia , Spiroplasma and Wolbachia taxa across host species from the Empidoidea superfamily (to which the Empidinae subfamily belongs) included two species that overlap with our sample. Martin et al [31] found an individual from each of H .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wolbachia infections are widespread, affecting up to two thirds of insect species [3,25]. Other symbiont taxa that contain sex ratio distorters include Rickettsia and Spiroplasma bacteria [1,2], which infect diverse arthropod hosts including spiders [26], ladybirds [5], Orbatid mites [27], Drosophila [28,29] and the Diptera superfamilies Muscoidea [30] and Empidoidea [31]. The prevalence of sex ratio distorting symbionts is highly variable; occasionally only a small proportion of a host population is infected [5], making them difficult to detect if small sample sizes are screened and suggesting that their incidence has been underestimated by many studies [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are sex ratio distorting endosymbionts responsible for mating system variation among dance flies (Diptera: Empidinae)?

et al. 2017

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Maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts are common in many arthropod species. Some endosymbionts cause female-biased sex ratio distortion in their hosts that can result in profound changes to a host’s mating behaviour and reproductive biology. Dance flies (Diptera: Empidinae) are well known for their unusual reproductive biology, including species with female-specific ornamentation and female-biased lek-like swarming behaviour. The cause of the repeated evolution of female ornaments in these flies remains unknown, but is probably associated with female-biased sex ratios in individual species. In this study we assessed whether dance flies harbour sex ratio distorting endosymbionts that might have driven these mating system evolutionary changes. We measured the incidence and prevalence of infection by three endosymbionts that are known to cause female-biased sex ratios in other insect hosts (Wolbachia, Rickettsia and Spiroplasma) across 20 species of dance flies. We found evidence of widespread infection by all three symbionts and variation in sex-specific prevalence across the taxa sampled. However, there was no relationship between infection prevalence and adult sex ratio measures and no evidence that female ornaments are associated with high prevalences of sex-biased symbiont infections. We conclude that the current distribution of endosymbiont infections is unlikely to explain the diversity in mating systems among dance fly species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are sex ratio distorting endosymbionts responsible for mating system variation among dance flies (Diptera: Empidinae)?

et al. 2017

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“…Within the Diptera, previous extensive surveys have focused on the genus Drosophila (Clark et al 2005; Mateos et al 2006), the Empidoidea (Martin et al 2013), and the Muscoidea, including the yellow dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria (Martin et al 2012). Both these symbionts have been shown to manipulate host reproduction in flies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adult and larval stages of most species feed on small soft-bodied arthropods (Ulrich 2004), and because of this they are considered to be of potential use in biocontrol. Finally, their elaborate courtship behavior and their conspicuous male secondary sexual characters further provide excellent opportunities for studying sexual selection and speciation processes (Germann et al 2010; Martin et al 2013). This is particularly relevant, as reproductive parasites have been shown to have profound effects on reproductive traits and potential involvement in reproductive isolation (Wade and Stevens 1985), with obvious direct links to the study of sexual selection (discussed in Martin et al 2012; 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surprisingly, knowledge of Cardinium infections within the Diptera remains particularly hazy. Here, 244 fly species from 67 genera belonging to the Dolichopodidae, Empididae, and Hybotidae (all superfamily Empidoidea) were surveyed for the presence of this reproductive parasite (as also done for Wolbachia, Spiroplasma , and Rickettsia in Martin et al 2013). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Infections with the MicrobeCardiniumin the Dolichopodidae and Other Empidoidea

Martin

Puniamoorthy

Gubler

et al. 2013

Journal of Insect Science

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Maternally transmitted reproductive parasites such as Wolbachia and Cardinium can drastically reshape reproduction in their hosts. Beyond skewing sex ratios towards females, these microbes can also cause cytoplasmic incompatibility. Wolbachia probably infects two thirds of insects, but far less is known about the occurrence or action of other bacteria with potentially similar effects. In contrast with the two more widespread reproductive parasites, Wolbachia and Spiroplasma, far less is known of infections with Cardinium (Bacteroidetes) and possible consequences in the Diptera. Here, in an extensive survey, 244 dipteran species from 67 genera belonging to the Dolichopodidae, Empididae, and Hybotidae were assessed for the presence of the microbe Cardinium. Although 130 of the species screened tested positive (ca. 53%), the presence of Cardinium could only be confirmed in 10 species (ca. 4%) based on analysis of sequences. Numerous additional sequences were found to be assignable to known or unknown Bacteroidetes.Considering the known issues concerning specificity of Cardinium primers and the phylogenetic uncertainties surrounding this microbe, the actual prevalence of this symbiont is worthy of further scrutiny. Potential directions for future research on Cardinium-host interactions in Diptera and in general are discussed.

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Incidence and Diversity of Torix Rickettsia–Odonata Symbioses

et al. 2020

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Heritable microbes are an important component of invertebrate biology, acting both as beneficial symbionts and reproductive parasites. Whilst most previous research has focussed on the ‘ Wolbachia pandemic’, recent work has emphasised the importance of other microbial symbionts. In this study, we present a survey of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) for torix group Rickettsia , following previous research indicating that this clade can be common in other aquatic insect groups. PCR assays were used to screen a broad range of odonates from two continents and revealed 8 of 76 species tested were infected with Rickettsia . We then conducted further deeper screening of UK representatives of the Coenagrionidae damselfly family, revealing 6 of 8 UK coenagrionid species to be positive for torix Rickettsia . Analysis of Rickettsia gene sequences supported multiple establishments of symbiosis in the group. Some strains were shared between UK coenagrionid species that shared mtDNA barcodes, indicating a likely route for mitochondrial introgression between sister species. There was also evidence of coinfecting Rickettsia strains in two species. FISH analysis indicated Rickettsia were observed in the ovarioles, consistent with heritable symbiosis. We conclude that torix Rickettsia represent an important associate of odonates, being found in a broad range of species from both Europe and South America. There is evidence that coinfection can occur, vertical transmission is likely, and that symbiont movement following hybridisation may underpin the lack of ‘barcoding gap’ between well-established species pairs in the genus. Future work should establish the biological significance of the symbioses observed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00248-020-01568-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Infections with Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, and Rickettsia in the Dolichopodidae and other Empidoidea

Cited by 20 publications

References 66 publications

Are sex ratio distorting endosymbionts responsible for mating system variation among dance flies (Diptera: Empidinae)?

Are sex ratio distorting endosymbionts responsible for mating system variation among dance flies (Diptera: Empidinae)?

Infections with the MicrobeCardiniumin the Dolichopodidae and Other Empidoidea

Incidence and Diversity of Torix Rickettsia–Odonata Symbioses

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