Figures and data
Parasitism facilitates interspecific horizontal transfer of Wolbachia.
(a) Phylogeny of Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) genes retrieved from NCBI. (b) Effect of parasitism, plant-sharing, and predation on the genetic distance of wsp between species. (c) Relationship between species divergence time and the genetic distance of wsp between species. (d) Phylogeny of representative wsp sequences from Trichogramma wasps and lepidopterans. Color red and black represent wsp sequences from Trichogramma wasp and lepidopterans, respectively.
Transfer of Wolbachia from the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa, to its host, Bemisia tabaci.
(a) Phylogenetic analysis of the wsp gene from B. tabaci and its parasitoid wasps. The colors black, red, purple, and gray represent wsp sequences from B. tabaci, En. formosa, other parasitoids of B. tabaci, and other species, respectively. (b) Scheme of the experimental design for studying the transmission of Wolbachia from En. formosa to B. tabac. (c–d) Effects of En. formosa on (c) the infection rate of Wolbachia and (d) the proportion of females in B. tabaci populations. Data are presented as the means ± standard errors (SE) (n = 3).
Parasitism failure mediates Wolbachia transfer from En. formosa to B. tabaci.
(a–c) Effects of 60 Gy radiation on (a) the fecundity of En. formosa over a 12-hour period, (b) the rate of successful parasitism, and (c) the Wolbachia infection rate in surviving whiteflies. Data are presented as the means + SEs (n = 20). ***: p < 0.001. (d–f) Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) visualization of Wolbachia in nonparasitized and parasitized 3rd instar nymphs, as well as parasitized 2nd instar nymphs of B. tabaci. The images present a combination of bright field and fluorescence. E: injected eggs from En. formosa.
Vertical transmission of Wolbachia from En. formosa in B. tabaci.
(a) Scheme of the study design for Wolbachia vertical transmission in B. tabaci. Adult whiteflies that survived from En. formosa parasitism were denoted as G0. After pairing and oviposition, the infection status of Wolbachia in the female parent was examined. Only the offsprings from Wolbachia-infected female whiteflies were maintained. (b) The vertical transmission rate of Wolbachia across five generations in B. tabaci. Data are presented as the means + SEs (n = 9). ns.: no significant differences. (c–e) FISH visualization of Wolbachia in G3 B. tabaci (c) nymph, (d) male adult, and (e) female adult. The images present a combination of bright field and fluorescence. B: bacteriocyte; E: eggs in the ovary of a female whitefly.
Fitness costs in B. tabaci induced by Wolbachia from En. formosa.
(a–e) The effects of En. formosa Wolbachia on B. tabaci (a) female fecundity, (b) egg hatching rate, (c) immature survival rate, (d) female proportion, and (e) developmental time. Data are presented as the means + SEs (n = 60). ***: p < 0.001; ns.: no significant differences.
