Invasive Harlequin Ladybird Carries Biological Weapons Against Native Competitors
Invasive Harlequin Ladybird Carries Biological Weapons Against Native Competitors
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1234032
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发表时间：
2013-05-17
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Vogel, Heiko
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Vilcinskas, Andreas;Stoecker, Kilian;Vogel, Heiko
入侵物种在新栖息地定居后繁殖会对环境和经济产生负面影响。为什么有些物种成为成功的入侵者，而另一些物种，甚至是密切相关的物种，却保持非入侵性，这一原因往往尚不清楚。为生物害虫防治而引入的丑角瓢虫异色瓢虫已成为一种入侵者，在许多国家与本土瓢虫物种竞争。在这里，我们发现 Harmonia 携带丰富的专性寄生微孢子虫孢子，与 Nosema thompsoni 密切相关。这些微孢子虫虽然不会伤害载体Harmonia，但却是本地瓢虫七星瓢虫的致命病原体。我们认为，行会内的捕食是瓢虫竞争物种之间的主要选择力量，当本地瓢虫以被微孢子虫污染的和谐虫卵或幼虫为食时，会导致本地瓢虫感染并最终死亡。
Invasive species that proliferate after colonizing new habitats have a negative environmental and economic impact. The reason why some species become successful invaders, whereas others, even closely related species, remain noninvasive is often unclear. The harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis, introduced for biological pest control, has become an invader that is outcompeting indigenous ladybird species in many countries. Here, we show that Harmonia carries abundant spores of obligate parasitic microsporidia closely related to Nosema thompsoni. These microsporidia, while not harming the carrier Harmonia, are lethal pathogens for the native ladybird Coccinella septempunctata. We propose that intraguild predation, representing a major selective force among competing ladybird species, causes the infection and ultimate death of native ladybirds when they feed on microsporidia-contaminated Harmonia eggs or larvae.