The Manipulation of Arthropod Reproduction by Wolbachia Endosymbionts
Abstract
Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that manipulate the reproduction of their arthropod hosts. The nature of the manipulation varies with Wolbachia strain, arthropod taxa, and arthropod genetic system. Nonreciprocal and reciprocal reproductive incompatibilities, sex ratio biases, and induction of thelytoky are some of the results of Wolbachia symbiosis. The Wolbachia present in the predatory mite Metaseiulus occidentalis are genetically similar to those found in insects, and are correlated with nonreciprocal incompatibility in crosses between infected males and uninfected females. The incompatibility phenotype includes reduced numbers of eggs, shriveled eggs, and a male-biased sex ratio of the few resulting progeny, which may be related to the parahaploid genetic system of this phytoseiid mite.Downloads
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