Pleiotropic impact of endosymbiont load and co-occurrence in the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais.

ABSTRACT: Individual traits vary among and within populations, and the co-occurrence of different endosymbiont species within a host may take place under varying endosymbiont loads in each individual host. This makes the recognition of the potential impact of such endosymbiont associations in insect species difficult, particularly in insect pest species. The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a key pest species of stored cereal grains, exhibits associations with two endosymbiotic bacteria: the obligatory endosymbiont SZPE ("Sitophilus zeamais Primary Endosymbiont") and the facultative endosymbiont Wolbachia. The impact of the lack of SZPE in maize weevil physiology is the impairment of nutrient acquisition and energy metabolism, while Wolbachia is an important fact

SUBMITTER: Carvalho GA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4210188 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature