Wolbachia Affects Reproduction and Population Dynamics of the Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei): Implications for Biological Control

Abstract

Wolbachia are widely distributed endosymbiotic bacteria that influence the reproduction and fitness of their hosts. In recent years the manipulation of Wolbachia infection has been considered as a potential tool for biological control. The coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, is the most devastating coffee pest worldwide. Wolbachia infection in the CBB has been reported, but until now the role of Wolbachia in CBB reproduction and fitness has not been tested. To address this issue we reared the CBB in artificial diets with and without tetracycline (0.1% w/v) for ten generations. Tetracycline reduced significantly the relative proportion of Wolbachia in the CBB microbiota from 0.49% to 0.04%. This reduction affected CBB reproduction: females fed with tetracycline had significantly fewer progeny, lower fecundity, and fewer eggs per female. Tetracycline also reduced the population growth rate (λ), net reproductive rate (R0), and mean generation time (T) in CBB; the reduction in population growth was mostly due to variation in fertility, according to life time response experiments (LTREs) analysis. Our results suggest that Wolbachia contribute to the reproductive success of the CBB and their manipulation represents a possible approach to CBB biocontrol mediated by microbiome management.

High diversity and variability in the bacterial microbiota of the coffee berry borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), with emphasis onWolbachia

“…Tetracycline also reduced the population growth rate, net reproductive rate and mean generation time of the CBB (Mariño et al . ).…”

“…We suggest that in addition to the important role of Wolbachia in CBB reproduction (Mariño et al . ), Wolbachia may also protect the CBB against B. bassiana (De la Rosa et al . ; Cárdenas et al .…”

“…Wolbachia may also be necessary to assure the reproductive success of the CBB, since it is a reproductive manipulator in many insects (Mariño et al . ). However, to our knowledge, the effects of environmental conditions and host developmental stage on the CBB microbiota and reproductive parasites such as Wolbachia have not been tested.…”

Molecular phylogeny of bark and ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) based on 18 molecular markers

“…Guided by advanced pheromone attractants or sound production in the establishment of new nests, these insects have among the most advanced mating systems in animals. Subsocial life in tunnels and caves is characterized by interactions between parents and their offspring (Kirkendall et al, 1997), where diverse microbial communities potentially play an important role (Six, 2012;Dohet et al, 2016;Kawasaki et al, 2016;Mariño et al, 2017). A range of symbiotic relationships between microbes and bark beetles has evolved since Cretaceous times, particularly the cultivation of fungi seen in at least 10 independent lineages of Scolytinae (Farrell et al, 2001;Massoumi Alamouti et al, 2009;Jordal & Cognato, 2012;Kirkendall et al, 2015;Li et al, 2015).…”

Mosquito-Borne Diseases Emergence/Resurgence and How to Effectively Control It Biologically

“…gambiae [158], DENV [159], and ZIKV [160]. Recent reviews clearly explain Wolbachia as a form of biological control [144,161,162].…”