title: Comparisons of host mitochondrial, nuclear and endosymbiont bacterial genes reveal cryptic fig wasp species and the effects of Wolbachia on host mtDNA evolution and diversity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Figs and fig-pollinating wasp species usually display a highly specific one-to-one association. However, more and more studies have revealed that the "one-to-one" rule has been broken. Co-pollinators have been reported, but we do not yet know how they evolve. They may evolve from insect speciation induced or facilitated by Wolbachia which can manipulate host reproduction and induce reproductive isolation. In addition, Wolbachia can affect host mitochondrial DNA evolution, because of the linkage between Wolbachia and associated mitochondrial haplotypes, and thus confound host phylogeny based on mtDNA. Previous research has shown that fig wasps have the highest incidence of Wolbachia infection in all insect taxa, and Wolbachia may have great influence on fig wasp biology. Therefore, we look forward to understanding the influence of Wolbachia on mitochondrial DNA evolution and speciation in fig wasps.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We surveyed 76 pollinator wasp specimens from nine Ficus microcarpa trees each growing at a different location in Hainan and Fujian Provinces, China. We found that all wasps were morphologically identified as Eupristina verticillata, but diverged into three clades with 4.22-5.28% mtDNA divergence and 2.29-20.72% nuclear gene divergence. We also found very strong concordance between E. verticillata clades and Wolbachia infection status, and the predicted effects of Wolbachia on both mtDNA diversity and evolution by decreasing mitochondrial haplotypes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study reveals that the pollinating wasp E. verticillata on F. microcarpa has diverged into three cryptic species, and Wolbachia may have a role in this divergence. The results also indicate that Wolbachia strains infecting E. verticillata have likely resulted in selective sweeps on host mitochondrial DNA.
authors: Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xiao-Jing
authors: XJ
authors: Sun
authors: Jin-Hua
authors: JH
authors: Xiao
authors: James M
authors: JM
authors: Cook
authors: Gui
authors: G
authors: Feng
authors: Da-Wei
authors: DW
authors: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D030681:Ficus; D014644:Genetic Variation; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D013559:Symbiosis; D014863:Wasps / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D019476:Insect Proteins