Demographic Variation of Wolbachia Infection in the Endangered Mitchell's Satyr Butterfly.

ABSTRACT: The Mitchell's satyr, Neonympha mitchellii, is an endangered species that is limited to highly isolated habitats in the northern and southern United States. Conservation strategies for isolated endangered species often implement captive breeding and translocation programs for repopulation. However, these programs risk increasing the spread of harmful pathogens, such as the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia. Wolbachia can manipulate the host's reproduction leading to incompatibilities between infected and uninfected hosts. This study uses molecular methods to screen for Wolbachia presence across the distribution of the Mitchell's satyr and its subspecies, St. Francis satyr, which are both federally listed as endangered and are considered two of the rarest butterflies in North America. The sc

SUBMITTER: Fenner J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5492064 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature