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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Insect Sci.
Sec. Insect Physiology
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/finsc.2024.1519986

Evidence of horizontal transmission of Wolbachia wCcep in rice moths parasitized by Trichogramma chilonis and its persistence across generations

Provisionally accepted
C. T. Lai C. T. Lai 1Y. T. Hsiao Y. T. Hsiao 1Li-Hsin Wu Li-Hsin Wu 1,2*
  • 1 Department of Plant Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
  • 2 National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The horizontal transmission of endosymbionts between hosts and parasitoids remains poorly understood despite its critical role in biological control. plays a crucial role in biological control, yet its mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigates the dynamics of horizontal transfer of Wolbachia (wCcep) from the rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica, to its parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis. UsingThrough PCR detection and phylogenetic analysis, we identified identical strains of demonstrated the presence of identical wCcep strains in both host and parasitoid populations, suggesting that natural horizontal transmission occurs providing evidence for natural horizontal transmission. To investigate thoroughly, Wolbachia-free colonies were acquired through tetracycline treatment, and the initial density of wCcep in host eggs significantly influences transmission efficiency. High-density wCcep infections led to rapid transmission, with F1 parasitoid titers increasing by as much as 100-fold, while low-density infections exhibited more gradual increases. Notably, wCcep density fluctuated across generations, potentially influenced by the host's immune response. This observation prompts us to consider the role of the host's immune system in Wolbachia transmission. Additionally, without continuous exposure to infected hosts, wCcep density in T. chilonis diminished over generations. These findings enhance our understanding of Wolbachia's transfer dynamics and have important implications for developing effective and sustainable biological control strategies using parasitoid wasps, particularly in managing Wolbachia-related pest populations in agricultural systems.

    Keywords: Wolbachia acquisition, Symbiosis, Wolbachia persistence, biological control, climate impact

    Received: 30 Oct 2024; Accepted: 22 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lai, Hsiao and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Li-Hsin Wu, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.