Male-killing Wolbachia and mitochondrial selective sweep in a migratory African insect.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Numerous recent studies have shown that resident symbiotic microorganisms of insects play a fundamental role in host ecology and evolution. The lepidopteran pest, African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta), is a highly migratory and destructive species found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, that can experience eruptive outbreaks within the space of a single generation, making predicting population dynamics and pest control forecasting extremely difficult. Three strains of Wolbachia have recently been identified infecting this species in populations sampled from Tanzania. In this study, we examined the interaction between Wolbachia pipiensis infections and the co-inherited marker, mtDNA, within populations of armyworm, as a means to investigate the population biology and evoluti

SUBMITTER: Graham RI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3557208 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature