Bacterial associates of seed-parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Megastigmus).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The success of herbivorous insects has been shaped largely by their association with microbes. Seed parasitism is an insect feeding strategy involving intimate contact and manipulation of a plant host. Little is known about the microbial associates of seed-parasitic insects. We characterized the bacterial symbionts of Megastigmus (Hymenoptera: Torymidae), a lineage of seed-parasitic chalcid wasps, with the goal of identifying microbes that might play an important role in aiding development within seeds, including supplementing insect nutrition or manipulating host trees. We screened multiple populations of seven species for common facultative inherited symbionts. We also performed culture independent surveys of larvae, pupae, and adults of M. spermotrophus using 454 pyro

SUBMITTER: Paulson AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4197294 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature