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The complete mitochondrial genome of a burying beetle, Nicrophorus nepalensis Hope, 1831 (Coleoptera: Silphidae).

ABSTRACT: The complete mitochondrial genome of burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis Hope, 1831 was reported in this study. It was 17,299 bps in length and included 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a 2693 bp A + T-rich control region. Phylogenetic analysis using 13 PCGs from 38 Staphyliniform beetle species revealed that N. nepalensis was clustered in Silphidae, which together with Staphylinidae formed one monophyletic clade within Staphylinoidea.

SUBMITTER: Cai Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8158231 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The complete mitochondrial genome of a burying beetle, Nicrophorus nepalensis Hope, 1831 (Coleoptera: Silphidae).

Cai Yanpeng Y Li Xiaoyan X

Mitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources 20210524 6

The complete mitochondrial genome of burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis Hope, 1831 was reported in this study. It was 17,299 bps in length and included 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a 2693 bp A + T-rich control region. Phylogenetic analysis using 13 PCGs from 38 Staphyliniform beetle species revealed that N. nepalensis was clustered in Silphidae, which together with Staphylinidae formed one monophyletic clade within Staphylinoidea. ...[more]

PMID: 34104752

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Project description:Our aim was to compare friction and traction forces between two burying beetle species of the genus Nicrophorus exhibiting different attachment abilities during climbing. Specifically, the interaction of adhesive hairs and claws during attachment with respect to various surface properties was investigated by using a 2 × 3 experimental design. Traction force was measured for two different surface energies (hydrophilic vs hydrophobic) varying in roughness from smooth to micro-rough to rough. Nanotribometric tests on single legs were also performed. The external morphology of the attachment devices investigated by scanning electron microscopy suggested higher intra-specific (intersexual) than inter-specific differences. Whereas differences between the two species in traction force were high on smooth surfaces, no differences could be detected between males and females within each species. With claws intact, both species showed the highest forces on rough surfaces, although N. nepalensis with clipped claws performed best on a smooth surface. However, N. nepalensis beetles outperformed N. vespilloides, which showed no differences between smooth and rough surfaces with clipped claws. Both species demonstrated poor traction forces on micro-rough surfaces. Results concerning the impact of surface polarity were inconclusive, whereas roughness more strongly affected the attachment performance in both species. Nanotribometric analyses of the fore tarsi performed on micro-rough and rough surfaces revealed higher friction in the proximal (pull) direction compared with the distal (push) direction. In these experiments, we detected neither differences in friction performance between the two species, nor clear trends concerning the influence of surface polarity. We conclude that the investigated morphological traits are not critical for the observed interspecific difference in attachment ability on smooth surfaces. Furthermore, interspecific differences in performance are only clear on smooth surfaces and vanish on micro-rough and rough surfaces. Our results suggest that even subtle differences in the adhesion-mediating secretion in closely related species might result in qualitative performance shifts.

Project description:Asymmetric interference competition, where one species is behaviorally dominant over another, appears widespread in nature with the potential to structure ecological communities through trade-offs between competitive dominance and environmental tolerance. The details of how species interact and the factors that contribute to behavioral dominance, however, are poorly known for most species, yet such details are important for understanding when and why trade-offs occur. Here, we examine behavioral interactions between two species of burying beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) that compete for limited breeding resources (i.e., small vertebrate carcasses) in nature, to identify behaviors involved in interference competition and to test if large body size, species identity, or time of arrival best predict behavioral dominance among species. To test these ideas, we placed same-sex individuals of Nicrophorus orbicollis (early to mid-summer breeder) and N. tomentosus (late summer to fall breeder) into an enclosure together with a 25-30 g mouse carcass (Mus musculus). We then video-recorded all behaviors, including neutral and aggressive interactions, for 13 h per trial (N = 14 trials). For each interaction, we assigned a winner based on which beetle retained its position instead of fleeing or retained possession of the carcass; the overall behavioral dominant was determined as the individual that won the most interactions over the length of the trial. We found that large body size was the best predictor of behavioral dominance. In most interactions, N. orbicollis was larger and dominant over N. tomentosus; however, when N. tomentosus was larger they outcompeted smaller N. orbicollis, illustrating the importance of body size in aggressive contests. The order of arrival to the carcass (priority effects) did not predict behavioral dominance. The larger size and abundance of N. orbicollis in nature suggest a competitive asymmetry between the species, supporting the idea that N. orbicollis constrains the ability of N. tomentosus to breed earlier in the summer.

Project description:Nicrophorus vespilloides is a social beetle that rears its offspring on decomposing carrion. Wild beetles are frequently associated with two types of macrobial symbionts, mites, and nematodes. Although these organisms are believed to be phoretic commensals that harmlessly use beetles as a means of transfer between carcasses, the role of these symbionts on N. vespilloides fitness is poorly understood. Here, we show that nematodes have significant negative effects on beetle fitness across a range of worm densities and also quantify the density-dependent transmission of worms between mating individuals and from parents to offspring. Using field-caught beetles, we provide the first report of a new nematode symbiont in N. vespilloides, most closely related to Rhabditoides regina, and show that worm densities are highly variable across individuals isolated from nature but do not differ between males and females. Next, by inoculating mating females with increasing densities of nematodes, we show that worm infections significantly reduce brood size, larval survival, and larval mass, and also eliminate the trade-off between brood size and larval mass. Finally, we show that nematodes are efficiently transmitted between mating individuals and from mothers to larvae, directly and indirectly via the carcass, and that worms persist through pupation. These results show that the phoretic nematode R. regina can be highly parasitic to burying beetles but can nevertheless persist because of efficient mechanisms of intersexual and intergenerational transmission. Phoretic species are exceptionally common and may cause significant harm to their hosts, even though they rely on these larger species for transmission to new resources. However, this harm may be inevitable and unavoidable if transmission of phoretic symbionts requires nematode proliferation. It will be important to determine the generality of our results for other phoretic associates of animals. It will equally be important to assess the fitness effects of phoretic species under changing resource conditions and in the field where diverse interspecific interactions may exacerbate or reduce the negative effects of phoresy.

Dataset Information

The complete mitochondrial genome of a burying beetle, Nicrophorus nepalensis Hope, 1831 (Coleoptera: Silphidae).

Publications

The complete mitochondrial genome of a burying beetle, <i>Nicrophorus nepalensis</i> Hope, 1831 (Coleoptera: Silphidae).

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