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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Newark, Delaware » Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #305494
Title: Specialization of bacterial endosymbionts that protect aphids from parasitoids

Author
item ASPLEN, MARK - Metropolitan State University
item BANO, NASREEN - University Of Georgia
item BRADY, CRISTINA - University Of Kentucky
item DESNEUX, NICOLAS - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item Hopper, Keith
item MALOUINES, CLARA - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item OLIVER, KERRY - University Of Georgia
item WHITE, JENNIFER - University Of Kentucky
item HEIMPEL, GEORGE - University Of Minnesota

Submitted to: Ecological Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/25/2014
Publication Date: 12/1/2014
Citation: Asplen, M.K., Bano, N., Brady, C.M., Desneux, N., Hopper, K.R., Malouines, C., Oliver, K.M., White, J.A., Heimpel, G.E. 2014. Specialization of bacterial endosymbionts that protect aphids from parasitoids. Ecological Entomology. 39: 736-739.

Interpretive Summary: Aphids which are major crop pests often harbor inside their cells bacteria that may affect aphid traits, like ability to feed on a particular plant species or resistance to parasitic wasps. Infection by the bacterium HAMILTONELLA DEFENSA protects the pea aphid from parasitism by APHIDIUS ERVI and protects the black bean aphid from parasitism by LYSIPHLEBUS FABARUM. The cowpea aphid is a pest of many crops that also harbors H. DEFENSA. In laboratory experiments, we compared parasitism of cowpea aphid lines that were either infected with or cured of H. DEFENSA by four parasitoid species. Infection by H. DEFENSA completely eliminated parasitism of cowpea aphid by BINODOXYS COMMUNIS and BINODOXYS KOREANUS, but had no effect on parasitism by LYSIPHLEBUS ORIENTALIS and APHIDIUS COLEMANI. This indicates specificity of protective effects by H. DEFENSA and which may explain our previous findings on the patchy world-wide distribution of this host/symbiont interaction.

Technical Abstract: Infection by the bacterial endosymbiont HAMILTONELLA DEFENSA is capable of protecting the pea aphid from parasitism by APHIDIUS ERVI and the black bean aphid from parasitism by LYSIPHLEBUS FABARUM. Here we investigate protection of a third aphid species, the cowpea aphid, APHIS CRACCIVORA, from 4 parasitoid species – BINODOXYS COMMUNIS, B. KOREANUS, LYSIPHLEBUS ORIENTALIS and APHIDIUS COLEMANI. We compared parasitism of A. CRACCIVORA lines that were either infected with, or cured of H. DEFENSA separately for the four parasitoid species. Infection by H. DEFENSA completely eliminated parasitism of A. CRACCIVORA by B. COMMUNIS and B. KOREANUS, but had no effect on parasitism by L. ORIENTALIS and A. COLEMANI. This indicates at least genus-level specificity of protective effects by H. DEFENSA and we discuss implications of our findings on the known world-wide distribution of this host/symbiont interaction.