Stochastic Fluctuations of the Facultative Endosymbiont <i>Wolbachia</i> due to Finite Host Population Size.

ABSTRACT: Many insects and other animals host heritable endosymbionts that alter host fitness and reproduction. The prevalence of facultative endosymbionts can fluctuate in host populations across time and geography for reasons that are poorly understood. This is particularly true for maternally transmitted Wolbachia bacteria, which infect roughly half of all insect species. For instance, the frequencies of several wMel-like Wolbachia, including wMel in host Drosophila melanogaster, fluctuate over time in certain host populations, but the specific conditions that generate temporal variation in Wolbachia prevalence are unresolved. We implemented a discrete generation model in the new R package symbiontmodeler to evaluate how finite-population stochasti

SUBMITTER: Graham JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12358320 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature