Dynamic changes in Wolbachia infection over a single generation of Drosophila suzukii, across a wide range of resource availability.

ABSTRACT: Wolbachia bacteria are maternally inherited symbionts that commonly infect terrestrial arthropods. Many Wolbachia reach high frequencies in their hosts by manipulating their reproduction, for example by causing reproductive incompatibilities between infected male and uninfected female hosts. However, not all strains manipulate reproduction, and a key unresolved question is how these non-manipulative Wolbachia persist in their hosts, often at intermediate to high frequencies. One such strain, wSuz, infects the invasive fruit pest Drosophila suzukii, spotted-wing drosophila. Here, we tested the hypothesis that wSuz infection provides a competitive benefit when resources are limited. Over the course of one season, we established population cages with

SUBMITTER: McPherson AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10651314 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature