Metagenomic survey of bacteria associated with the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Abstract. The multicoloured Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis is an invasive insect that can negatively infl uence biodiversity and human economy in invaded areas. According to the enemy release hypothesis, invasive alien species are often little affected by parasites and other enemies. We studied the prevalence of common parasites of insects infesting and infecting H. axyridis in NW Poland. A large sample of 2351 individuals was collected and divided into two groups: 1180 beetles were dissected and examined for the presence of eugregarines, nematodes and Laboulbeniales fungi, and 751 were checked for phoretic mites. Our results show that H. axyridis is indeed parasitized infrequently. The prevalence of eugregarines and nematodes was very low (1.5% and 0.4%, respectively). No specimens of Laboulbeniales or phoretic mites were found. Our study indicates that in NW Poland H. axyridis is rarely infested or infected by parasites. This paper reports for the fi rst time the infection of H. axyridis by the eugregarine Gregarina barbarara.

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“…(Werren et al, 1994) and Spiroplasma spp. (Hurst et al, 1999a), however, their prevalence in the population studied was low (Dudek et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

A "clean" alien species? Parasites of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Dudek¹,

Sienkiewicz²,

Gwiazdowicz³

et al. 2017

Eur. J. Entomol.

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“…In contrast, the beetles used in this study showed Enterococcus and Lactococcus strains which were not identified in samples of native H. axyridis . However, the microbiome of invasive H. axyridis from Poland encompassed Lactococcus, but not Enterococcus (Dudek, Humińska, Wojciechowicz, & Tryjanowski, ). However, it remains uncertain whether the differences in these taxa were an effect of diet.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symbiont‐mediated chemical defense in the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis

Schmidtberg

Shukla

Halitschke

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The volatile alkylpyrazines methyl‐ and methoxypyrazines (MPs) present in the reflex bleeds of coccinellid beetles such as the harlequin ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis are important semiochemicals that function in antipredatory defense behavior. Pyrazines have also been coadapted from a primarily defensive role into pheromones that function in intraspecific communication, attraction, and aggregation behavior. However, the biosynthesis of MPs in ladybird beetles is poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that MPs could be produced by microbial symbionts in H. axyridis , which generates four different MPs. The evaluation of tissue‐specific MP production showed that MP concentrations were highest in the gut tissue and hemolymph of the beetles rather than the fat body tissue as the presumed site of MP biosynthesis. Furthermore, manipulation of gut microbiota by antibiotic‐containing diets resulted in a lower MP content in adult beetles. The analysis of the bacterial community of the digestive tract revealed the presence of bacteria of the genera Serratia and Lactococcus which are reportedly able to produce MPs. In line with the known diet‐dependent production of MP in H. axyridis, we determined that the presence or relative abundance of some of the potential MP producers ( Enterococcus and Staphylococcus ) is also diet‐dependent. We hypothesize a potential role of the microbiota in MP production in H. axyridis as a possible example for outsourcing the synthesis of ecologically important semiochemicals to its gut bacteria.

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“…Finally, a very interesting topic for future studies is the examination of the presence of other intracellular and symbiotic bacteria (like Cardinium, Spiroplasma, Rickettsia), in Coleoptera and their relations, both with the host and Wolbachia. So far, only three studies have found Wolbachia with Rickettsia and/or Spiroplasma together in beetle hosts (Majerus et al, 2000;Weinert et al, 2007;Toju & Fukatsu 2011;White et al, 2015;Perotti et al, 2016;Bili et al, 2016;Dudek et al, 2017). Preliminary results suggest that there is some balance in the number of these bacteria, probably caused by competition within host cells (Goto et al, 2006).…”

Section: Current Gaps and Future Endeavorsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Curculionidae and Chrysomelidae species were respectively examined per article. All species of Hydraenidae and Buprestidae were included in only single articles (Sontowski et al, 2015), whereas limited numbers of species of Coccinellidae and Tenebrionidae were examined in several articles (Hurst et al, 1999;Fialho & Stevens 1996, 1997Majerus et al, 2000;et al, Weinert et al, 2007;Elnagdy et al, 2013;Ming et al, 2015;Goodacre et al, 2015;Kageyama et al, 2015;Li et al, 2015;Dudek et al;. Wolbachia infection was only studied more than once in 20 species.…”

Section: Publicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surprisingly, despite fast development of NGS in the last years, very few studies have used this technology for studying Wolbachia in beetle populations. For example, five studies sequenced 16S amplicons generated from microbiota and detected Wolbachia (White et al, 2015;Bili et al, 2016;Berasategui et al, 2016;Takano et al, 2017;Dudek et al, 2017). The only single study that utilized shotgun sequencing was executed for other purposes and also accidentally showed Wolbachia genes in examined species (Heintzman et al, 2014).…”

Section: Current Gaps and Future Endeavorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supplemental Information 2: Image of Phylogenetic Tree Reconstructed Based on Wolbachia Wsp Gene Sequences Obtained From

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Background. Despite great progress in studies on Wolbachia infection in insects, the knowledge about its relations with beetle species, populations and individuals, and the effects of bacteria on these hosts is still unsatisfactory. In this review we summarize the current state of knowledge about Wolbachia occurrence and interactions with Coleopteran hosts. Methods. An intensive search of the available literature resulted in the selection of 81 publications that describe the relevant details about Wolbachia presence among beetles. These publications were then examined with respect to the distribution and taxonomy of infected hosts and diversity of Wolbachia found in beetles. Sequences of Wolbachia genes (16S rDNA, wsp and ftsZ) were used for the phylogenetic analyses. Results. The collected publications revealed that Wolbachia has been confirmed in 197 beetle species and that the estimated average prevalence of this bacteria across beetle species is 38.3% and varies greatly across families and genera (0-88% infected members) and is much lower (c. 13%) in geographic studies. The majority of the examined and infected beetles were from Europe and East Asia. The most intensively studied have been two groups of herbivorous beetles: Curculionidae and Chrysomelidae. Coleoptera harbor Wolbachia belonging to three supergroups: F found in only 3 species, and A and B found in similar numbers of beetles (including some doubly infected); however the latter two were most prevalent in different families. 59% of species with precise data were found to be totally infected. Single infections were found in 69% of species and others were doubly-or multiply-infected. Wolbachia caused numerous effects on its beetle hosts, including selective sweep with host mtDNA (found in 3% of species), cytoplasmic incompatibility (detected in c. 6% of beetles) and other effects related to reproduction or development (like male-killing, possible parthenogenesis or haplodiploidy induction, and egg development). Phylogenetic reconstructions for Wolbachia genes rejected cospeciation between these bacteria and Coleoptera, with minor exceptions found in some Hydraenidae, Curculionidae and Chrysomelidae. In contrast, horizontal transmission of

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Metagenomic survey of bacteria associated with the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Cited by 21 publications

References 41 publications

A "clean" alien species? Parasites of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

A "clean" alien species? Parasites of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Symbiont‐mediated chemical defense in the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis

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