Dynamics of an Ongoing <i>Wolbachia</i> Spread in the European Cherry Fruit Fly, <i>Rhagoletis cerasi</i> (Diptera: Tephritidae).

ABSTRACT: Numerous terrestrial arthropods are infected with the alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia. This endosymbiont is usually transmitted vertically from infected females to their offspring and can alter the reproduction of hosts through various manipulations, like cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), enhancing its spread in new host populations. Studies on the spatial and temporal dynamics of Wolbachia under natural conditions are scarce. Here, we analyzed Wolbachia infection frequencies in populations of the European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.), in central Germany-an area of an ongoing spread of the CI-inducing strain wCer2. In total, 295 individuals from 19 populations were PCR-screened for the presence of wCer2 and their mitochondrial haplotype.

SUBMITTER: Schebeck M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6627601 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature