scholarly journals Temperature influences host instar selection in an aphid parasitoid: support for the relative fitness rule

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 792-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joffrey Moiroux ◽  
Guy Boivin ◽  
Jacques Brodeur
Keyword(s):  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Aphid Parasitoid ◽  
Host Instar

Host–instar selection in the aphid parasitoid Monoctonus paulensis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Aphidiinae): assessing costs and benefits

2001 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Chau ◽  
Manfred Mackauer
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Acyrthosiphon Pisum ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Pea Aphid ◽  
Potential Fecundity ◽  
Aphid Parasitoid ◽  
Offspring Number ◽  
Host Instar ◽  
Parasitoid Development ◽  
Pupal Mortality

AbstractFemales of Monoctonus paulensis (Ashmead), a solitary parasitoid of aphids, generally select the relatively smaller over equally available larger instars of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Aphididae). Large hosts contain more resources for parasitoid development and hence have presumably higher quality; however, they require more time to subdue and are more likely to escape. We tested the hypothesis that a female’s choice among first (L1), second (L2), third (L3), and fourth (L4) instars of the pea aphid is based on the optimal balance between fitness costs in terms of time and fitness gains in terms of offspring number and size. Prepupal mortality did not vary with host instar, but pupal mortality was greater among parasitoids developing in L4 than in any younger instars. Offspring mortality was not influenced by clutch size in that mortality risk did not differ between parasitoids developing alone and counterparts developing in a clutch. The sex ratio, measured as proportion of daughters among offspring, was female-biased on all four host instars; the degree of bias increased from 0.70 (in L1) to 0.92 (in L4). Parasitoid body size was a function of aphid size at parasitism. Females were larger than males; the magnitude of the difference in body size was constant and independent of host and hence parasitoid size. A female’s potential fecundity as measured by the number of ovarial eggs at eclosion varied with her size and larval ontogeny. The four instars of the pea aphid were ranked in the order L1 > L2 > L3 > L4 both in terms of the number of offspring produced per encountered host and in terms of a female’s time costs; first instars are easier to handle and are more abundant in the field than older instars. The four host types were ranked in the order L2 > L3 > L1 > L4 in terms of the proportion and potential fecundity of daughters among offspring. The observed preference pattern (L1 > L2 > L3 > L4) suggests that, in choosing hosts, females of M. paulensis maximize the number of offspring per unit of search time rather than simply offspring quality.

scholarly journals LI Detector: a framework for sensitive colony-based screens regardless of the distribution of fitness effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saurin Bipin Parikh ◽  
Nelson Castilho Coelho ◽  
Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis
Keyword(s):  
Linear Interpolation ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Nutrient Distribution ◽  
Underlying Distribution ◽  
Fitness Effects ◽  
Fitness Value ◽  
Genetic Perturbations ◽  
Surface Irregularities

Abstract Microbial growth characteristics have long been used to investigate fundamental questions of biology. Colony-based high-throughput screens enable parallel fitness estimation of thousands of individual strains using colony growth as a proxy for fitness. However, fitness estimation is complicated by spatial biases affecting colony growth, including uneven nutrient distribution, agar surface irregularities, and batch effects. Analytical methods that have been developed to correct for these spatial biases rely on the following assumptions: (1) that fitness effects are normally distributed, and (2) that most genetic perturbations lead to minor changes in fitness. Although reasonable for many applications, these assumptions are not always warranted and can limit the ability to detect small fitness effects. Beneficial fitness effects, in particular, are notoriously difficult to detect under these assumptions. Here, we developed the linear interpolation-based detector (LI Detector) framework to enable sensitive colony-based screening without making prior assumptions about the underlying distribution of fitness effects. The LI Detector uses a grid of reference colonies to assign a relative fitness value to every colony on the plate. We show that the LI Detector is effective in correcting for spatial biases and equally sensitive toward increase and decrease in fitness. LI Detector offers a tunable system that allows the user to identify small fitness effects with unprecedented sensitivity and specificity. LI Detector can be utilized to develop and refine gene–gene and gene–environment interaction networks of colony-forming organisms, including yeast, by increasing the range of fitness effects that can be reliably detected.

scholarly journals Sublethal effects of emamectin benzoate on life table parameters of the cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.)

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
El-Sayed Mokbel ◽  
Amal Huesien
Keyword(s):  
Life Table ◽  
Spodoptera Littoralis ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Lethal Effect ◽  
Reproductive Rate ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Emamectin Benzoate ◽  
Cotton Leafworm ◽  
Sublethal Concentrations ◽  
Preovipositional Period

Abstract Background The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.), is a serious economic pest in Egypt. Pest control depends mainly on chemical control with several pesticides include conventional and modern insecticides. Comprehensive analysis of pesticides impacts needs to investigate sublethal effects in addition to lethal effect. Results In the current study, the leaf-dip bioassay method was used to evaluate emamectin benzoate (EMB) sublethal concentrations. Results showed that EMB proved high toxicity against S. littorals with LC50 value of 0.019 mg liter−1. Life table analysis showed that treatments with LC5 and LC15 prolonged larval period, mean longevity of males and females, mean generation time (T), doubling time (DT), adult preovipositional period (APOP), and total preovipositional period (TPOP) compared with control. On the contrary, net reproduction rates (R0), intrinsic rates of increase (r), finite rate (λ), fecundity, gross reproductive rate (GRR), and relative fitness were decreased compared to control. Conclusions The current study clarified that sublethal concentrations of EMB induce adverse effects and suppress the population growth of S. littorals. Our results would be useful to assess the overall effects of EMB on S. littorals and can contribute effectively in pest management.

scholarly journals RND Efflux Systems Contribute to Resistance and Virulence of Aliarcobacter butzleri

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 823
Author(s):  
Cristiana Mateus ◽  
Ana Rita Nunes ◽  
Mónica Oleastro ◽  
Fernanda Domingues ◽  
Susana Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Human Serum ◽  
Ethidium Bromide ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Bacterial Resistance ◽  
Efflux Pumps ◽  
Bacterial Virulence ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Mutant Strains

Aliarcobacter butzleri is an emergent enteropathogen that can be found in a range of environments. This bacterium presents a vast repertoire of efflux pumps, such as the ones belonging to the resistance nodulation cell division family, which may be associated with bacterial resistance, as well as virulence. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the contribution of three RND efflux systems, AreABC, AreDEF and AreGHI, in the resistance and virulence of A. butzleri. Mutant strains were constructed by inactivation of the gene that encodes the inner membrane protein of these systems. The bacterial resistance profile of parental and mutant strains to several antimicrobials was assessed, as was the intracellular accumulation of the ethidium bromide dye. Regarding bacterial virulence, the role of these three efflux pumps on growth, strain fitness, motility, biofilm formation ability, survival in adverse conditions (oxidative stress and bile salts) and human serum and in vitro adhesion and invasion to Caco-2 cells was evaluated. We observed that the mutants from the three efflux pumps were more susceptible to several classes of antimicrobials than the parental strain and presented an increase in the accumulation of ethidium bromide, indicating a potential role of the efflux pumps in the extrusion of antimicrobials. The mutant strains had no bacterial growth defects; nonetheless, they presented a reduction in relative fitness. For the three mutants, an increase in the susceptibility to oxidative stress was observed, while only the mutant for AreGHI efflux pump showed a relevant role in bile stress survival. All the mutant strains showed an impairment in biofilm formation ability, were more susceptible to human serum and were less adherent to intestinal epithelial cells. Overall, the results support the contribution of the efflux pumps AreABC, AreDEF and AreGHI of A. butzleri to antimicrobial resistance, as well as to bacterial virulence.

scholarly journals Environmental modification via a quorum sensing molecule influences the social landscape of siderophore production

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1852) ◽  
pp. 20170200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Popat ◽  
Freya Harrison ◽  
Ana C. da Silva ◽  
Scott A. S. Easton ◽  
Luke McNally ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Iron Starvation ◽  
Signal Molecule ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Signalling Molecule ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Social Trait

Bacteria produce a wide variety of exoproducts that favourably modify their environment and increase their fitness. These are often termed ‘public goods’ because they are costly for individuals to produce and can be exploited by non-producers (cheats). The outcome of conflict over public goods is dependent upon the prevailing environment and the phenotype of the individuals in competition. Many bacterial species use quorum sensing (QS) signalling molecules to regulate the production of public goods. QS, therefore, determines the cooperative phenotype of individuals, and influences conflict over public goods. In addition to their regulatory functions, many QS molecules have additional properties that directly modify the prevailing environment. This leads to the possibility that QS molecules could influence conflict over public goods indirectly through non-signalling effects, and the impact of this on social competition has not previously been explored. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa QS signal molecule PQS is a powerful chelator of iron which can cause an iron starvation response. Here, we show that PQS stimulates a concentration-dependent increase in the cooperative production of iron scavenging siderophores, resulting in an increase in the relative fitness of non-producing siderophore cheats. This is likely due to an increased cost of siderophore output by producing cells and a concurrent increase in the shared benefits, which accrue to both producers and cheats. Although PQS can be a beneficial signalling molecule for P. aeruginosa , our data suggest that it can also render a siderophore-producing population vulnerable to competition from cheating strains. More generally, our results indicate that the production of one social trait can indirectly affect the costs and benefits of another social trait.

Honeydew as a source of host-searching kairomones for the aphid parasitoid Aphidius nigripes (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae)

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 1513-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Bouchard ◽  
Conrad Cloutier
Keyword(s):  
Filter Paper ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Response Level ◽  
Aphid Parasitoid ◽  
Potato Plants ◽  
Treated Area ◽  
Aphidius Nigripes ◽  
Locomotory Behavior ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Aphid Honeydew

The parasitoid Aphidius nigripes spent more time searching on potato plants previously infested with aphids than on fresh plants, suggesting the presence of searching stimulants on infested plants. Water extracts of aphid honeydew applied to the surface of foliage or to filter paper discs increased searching time and affected the locomotory behavior of parasitoids. When crossing a honeydew-treated area on filter paper, female parasitoids exhibited arrestment, antennal examination, abdominal protraction, reduced walking speed, and increased turning. Upon losing contact with honeydew-contaminated substrate, parasitoids often exhibited a klinotactic response which drove them back to the treated area. The time spent by individual parasitoids within a honeydew-treated area on filter paper decreased with successive visits, but the initial response level was restored when the insect was prevented from contacting honeydew for 1 h. The retention response exhibited by parasitoids contacting a honeydew-treated area increased with honeydew concentration, but levelled off at high concentrations. Naive parasitoids were more responsive to the retention effect of honeydew than experienced individuals.

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