Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis
Many insects host vertically transmitted microbes, which can confer benefits to their hosts but are costly to maintain and regulate. A key feature of these symbioses is variation: for example, symbiont density can vary among host and symbiont genotypes. However, the evolutionary forces maintaining t...
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| Fformat: | Journal article |
| Iaith: | English |
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Wiley
2021
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| _version_ | 1826297945157271552 |
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| author | Parker, BJ Hrček, J McLean, AHC Brisson, JA Godfray, HCJ |
| author_facet | Parker, BJ Hrček, J McLean, AHC Brisson, JA Godfray, HCJ |
| author_sort | Parker, BJ |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Many insects host vertically transmitted microbes, which can confer benefits to their hosts but are costly to maintain and regulate. A key feature of these symbioses is variation: for example, symbiont density can vary among host and symbiont genotypes. However, the evolutionary forces maintaining this variation remain unclear. We studied variation in symbiont density using the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and the bacterium Regiella insecticola, a symbiont that can protect its host against fungal pathogens. We found that relative symbiont density varies both between two Regiella phylogenetic clades and among aphid “biotypes.” Higher density symbiont infections are correlated with stronger survival costs, but variation in density has little effect on the protection Regiella provides against fungi. Instead, we found that in some aphid genotypes, a dramatic decline in symbiont density precedes the loss of a symbiont infection. Together, our data suggest that the optimal density of a symbiont infection is likely different from the perspective of aphid and microbial fitness. Regiella might prevent loss by maintaining high within‐host densities, but hosts do not appear to benefit from higher symbiont numbers and may be advantaged by losing costly symbionts in certain environments. The standing variation in symbiont density observed in natural populations could therefore be maintained by antagonistic coevolutionary interactions between hosts and their symbiotic microbes.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:39:18Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:d11552ee-01c6-485b-b918-b541810bb819 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:39:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:d11552ee-01c6-485b-b918-b541810bb8192022-03-27T07:54:28ZIntraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosisJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:d11552ee-01c6-485b-b918-b541810bb819EnglishSymplectic ElementsWiley2021Parker, BJHrček, JMcLean, AHCBrisson, JAGodfray, HCJMany insects host vertically transmitted microbes, which can confer benefits to their hosts but are costly to maintain and regulate. A key feature of these symbioses is variation: for example, symbiont density can vary among host and symbiont genotypes. However, the evolutionary forces maintaining this variation remain unclear. We studied variation in symbiont density using the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and the bacterium Regiella insecticola, a symbiont that can protect its host against fungal pathogens. We found that relative symbiont density varies both between two Regiella phylogenetic clades and among aphid “biotypes.” Higher density symbiont infections are correlated with stronger survival costs, but variation in density has little effect on the protection Regiella provides against fungi. Instead, we found that in some aphid genotypes, a dramatic decline in symbiont density precedes the loss of a symbiont infection. Together, our data suggest that the optimal density of a symbiont infection is likely different from the perspective of aphid and microbial fitness. Regiella might prevent loss by maintaining high within‐host densities, but hosts do not appear to benefit from higher symbiont numbers and may be advantaged by losing costly symbionts in certain environments. The standing variation in symbiont density observed in natural populations could therefore be maintained by antagonistic coevolutionary interactions between hosts and their symbiotic microbes. |
| spellingShingle | Parker, BJ Hrček, J McLean, AHC Brisson, JA Godfray, HCJ Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis |
| title | Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis |
| title_full | Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis |
| title_fullStr | Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis |
| title_short | Intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect-microbe symbiosis |
| title_sort | intraspecific variation in symbiont density in an insect microbe symbiosis |
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