Loss of Wolbachia infection during colonisation in the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile.
Heredity (Edinb)
; 94(3): 364-9, 2005 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15674380
WOLBACHIA are maternally inherited bacteria, which are very common in arthropods and nematodes. Wolbachia infection may affect host reproduction through feminisation, parthenogenesis, male-killing, cytoplasmic incompatibility and increased fecundity. Previous studies showing discrepancies between the phylogenies of Wolbachia and its arthropod hosts indicate that infection is frequently lost, but the causes of symbiont extinction have so far remained elusive. Here, we report data showing that colonisation of new habitats is a possible mechanism leading to the loss of infection. The presence and prevalence of Wolbachia were studied in three native and eight introduced populations of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile. The screening shows that the symbiont is common in the three native L. humile populations analysed. In contrast, Wolbachia was detected in only one of the introduced populations. The loss of infection associated with colonisation of new habitats may result from drift (founder effect) or altered selection pressures in the new habitat. Furthermore, a molecular phylogeny based on sequences of the Wolbachia wsp gene indicates that L. humile has been infected by a single strain. Horizontal transmission of the symbiont may be important in ants as suggested by the sequence similarity of strains in the three genera Linepithema, Acromyrmex, and Solenopsis native from South and Central America.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Formigas
/
Filogenia
/
Seleção Genética
/
Wolbachia
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
America do sul
/
Argentina
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Heredity (Edinb)
Ano de publicação:
2005
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Suíça
País de publicação:
Reino Unido