W9L1 Wolbachia Insect interactions and pest/disease control

Question 1

Wolbachia effect on reproduction

Answer 1

-Turns male to female
-Male killing
-Cytoplasmic incompatibility
-Parthenogenesis

Question 2

Other effect of Wolbachia

Answer 2

-Virus blocking
-resting stage interference
-parasitic susceptibility
-thermal protection
-fecundity

Question 3

Wolbachia endosymbioNt

Answer 3

-occur in half of all insect species
-mostly study on drosophila and AEDES
-Wolbachia can jump between host every few thousand year (passing via parasitoid)

Question 4

Testing jumping host of Wolbachia

Answer 4

-take Wolbachia from other insects and inject it into mosquito eggs
-Wolbachia can then be passed from these mother to offspring

Question 5

Wolbachia and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI)

Answer 5

Question 6

Possible use of wolbacia

Answer 6

• Population suppression through sterile male release and replacement with a low fitness strain (host population suppression)
• Replacement for animal and plant viral disease suppression (virus transmission suppression)

Question 7

Possible problem with wolbachia infected mosquitoes

Answer 7

Infections can have strong negative fitness effects and some positive effects on hosts
-the spread of wolbachia will depend on local invasion point. The frequency must past the trees hold for to to spread. About 30%

Question 8

Other target for Wolbachia

Answer 8

Sterile release suppression: e. g. fruit fly
* Replacement and suppression: aphids that carry symbionts to stop
them spreading plant viruses
* GPA –green peach aphid, OA - oat aphid
* BYDV, barley yellow dwarf virus/ TuYV, turnip yellow virus
* Replacement: leafhoppers and plant virus transmission suppression

Question 9

Advantages of using Wolbachia and other Endosymbiont

Answer 9

• Abundant, diverse, everywhere,
• Transfers regarded as non GMO
• Affect reproduction to drive spread, self maintaining
• Interact with viruses to block them
• Decrease disease transmission after novel transfer
• Can suppress populations through CI (cytoplasmic incompatibility) and deleterious effects after spread
• Can have other beneficial effects such as increase susceptibility to natural enemies and pesticides
• Much potential, much to discover