Molecular Ecology (2019) 28, 3306-3323

Jing-Tao Sun, Xing-Zhi Duan, Ary A. Hoffmann, Yan Liu, Michael R. Garvin, Lei Chen, Gao Hu, Jin-Cheng Zhou, Hai-Jian Huang, Xiao-Feng Xue and Xiao-Yue Hong (2019)
Mitochondrial variation in small brown planthoppers linked to multiple traits and probably reflecting a complex evolutionary trajectory
Molecular Ecology 28 (14), 3306-3323
Abstract: While it has been proposed in several taxa that the mitochondrial genome is associated with adaptive evolution to different climatic conditions, making links between mitochondrial haplotypes and organismal phenotypes remains a challenge. Mitonuclear discordance occurs in the small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus, with one mitochondrial haplogroup (HGI) more common in the cold climate region of China relative to another form (HGII) despite strong nuclear gene flow, providing a promising model to investigate climatic adaptation of mitochondrial genomes. We hypothesized that cold adaptation through HGI may be involved, and considered mitogenome evolution, population genetic analyses, and bioassays to test this hypothesis. In contrast to our hypothesis, chill-coma recovery tests and population genetic tests of selection both pointed to HGII being involved in cold adaptation. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that HGII is nested within HGI, and has three nonsynonymous changes in ND2, ND5 and CYTB in comparison to HGI. These molecular changes likely increased mtDNA copy number, cold tolerance and fecundity of SBPH, particularly through a function-altering amino acid change involving M114T in ND2. Nuclear background also influenced fecundity and chill recovery (i.e., mitonuclear epistasis) and protein modelling indicates possible nuclear interactions for the two nonsynonymous changes in ND2 and CYTB. The high occurrence frequency of HGI in the cold climate region of China remains unexplained, but several possible reasons are discussed. Overall, our study points to a link between mtDNA variation and organismal-level evolution and suggests a possible role of mitonuclear interactions in maintaining mtDNA diversity.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Ary A. Hoffmann, Xiao-Yue Hong

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Laodelphax striatellus