Bulletin of Insectology (2018) 71, 161-169

Nadia Saeed, Andrea Battisti, Isabel Martinez-Sañudo and Nicola Mori (2018)
Combined effect of temperature and Wolbachia infection on the fitness of Drosophila suzukii
Bulletin of Insectology 71 (2), 161-169
Abstract: Maternally inherited Wolbachia is prevalent among insects and is often linked with modifications of host fitness. The result and evolution of host symbiont interaction depend on environmental limits but are difficult to predict since they arise from complex interactions among host, parasite, and environment. In this study, we evaluated whether fitness traits of Wolbachia-free and Wolbachia-infected individuals of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera Drosophilidae) were affected when flies were exposed to temperature stress (29 °C versus 22 °C) as well as to nutritional and starvation stress. Two lines of D. suzukii were prepared for the experiments: a Wolbachia-free line, treated with antibiotics, and a Wolbachia-infected line, hosting the endoparasite wSuz. Survival and fecundity of the two lines were assessed as well as the effect of nutritional stress on time of development and starvation stress on survival. Results showed that Wolbachia had a positive effect on egg hatch rates and viability at 29 °C, while at the same temperature there was a negative effect on adult survival. Wolbachia-free and Wolbachia-infected flies did not show any difference regarding nutritional and starvation stress. It is concluded that temperature associated changes in wSuz did not cause cytoplasmic incompatibility but significantly affected some fitness traits. This result may help to understand the performance of D. suzukii-Wolbachia-host-symbiont interaction in nature.
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Database assignments for author(s): Nicola Mori, Andrea Battisti

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Drosophila suzukii	Strawberry (Fragaria)	Italy