title: Wolbachia Infection in a Natural Parasitoid Wasp Population.
abstract: The maternally transmitted bacterium Wolbachia pipientis is well known for spreading and persisting in insect populations through manipulation of the fitness of its host. Here, we identify three new Wolbachia pipientis strains, wHho, wHho2 and wHho3, infecting Hyposoter horticola, a specialist wasp parasitoid of the Glanville fritillary butterfly. The wHho strain (ST435) infects about 50% of the individuals in the Åland islands in Finland, with a different infection rate in the two mitochondrial (COI) haplotypes of the wasp. The vertical transmission rate of Wolbachia is imperfect, and lower in the haplotype with lower infection rate, suggesting a fitness trade-off. We found no association of the wHho infection with fecundity, longevity or dispersal ability of the parasitoid host. However, preliminary results convey spatial associations between Wolbachia infection, host mitochondrial haplotype and parasitism of H. horticola by its hyperparasitoid, Mesochorus cf. stigmaticus. We discuss the possibility that Wolbachia infection protects H. horticola against hyperparasitism.
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki, Metapopulation Research Centre, Department of Biosciences, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duplouy
authors.affiliation: University of Sussex, School of Life Sciences, Brighton BN19QG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Couchoux
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki, Metapopulation Research Centre, Department of Biosciences, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ilkka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hanski
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki, Metapopulation Research Centre, Department of Biosciences, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland; Cornell University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ithaca, New York, 14853, United States of America.
authors.forename: Saskya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Nouhuys
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D005387:Finland; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014863:Wasps / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV