Screening of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) for reproductive endosymbionts reveals links between co-infection and evolutionary history

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2016 papers

Abstract

Reproductive endosymbionts have been shown to have wide-ranging effects on many aspects of their hosts' biology. A first step to understanding how these endosymbionts interact with their hosts is to determine their incidences. Here, we screened for four reproductive endosymbionts (Wolbachia, Cardinium, Spiroplasma and Rickettsia) in 28 populations of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) representing 12 species. Each of the four endosymbionts were identified in at least some of the tested specimens, and their infection patterns showed variations at the species-level and population-level, suggesting their distributions can be correlated with both the phylogeny and ecology of the hosts. Co-infections of unrelated bacteria, especially double infections of Wolbachia and Cardinium within the same individuals were common. Spiroplasma and Rickettsia infections were specific to particular host species, respectively. Further, the evolutionary histories of these endosymbionts were inferred by comparing the phylogenies of them and their hosts. These findings can help to clarify the interactions between endosymbionts and arthropods.

Related Papers

• → A new species of the genus Molothrognathus Summers and Schilinger (Acari: Trombidiformes: Caligonellidae) from Iran(2012)7 cited
• → The vertical distribution of the British intertidal Acari—the non halacarid fauna (Arachnida: Acari)(1985)33 cited
• Two species belonging to the genus Tectocepheus from nature farm at Nayoro in Northern Japan (Acari, Oribatei)(1988)
• New and rare water mites (Hydrachnellae, Acari) from Guatemala. Part 3(1977)
• → De Nederlandse watermijten (Acari: Hydrachnidia). The Dutch water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia). Harry Smit(2019)