Ecology and Evolution of a Novel Bacterial Symbiont Causing Cytoplasmic Incompatibility

昆虫和它们的亲戚通常会感染母系遗传的细菌，这些细菌通过操纵宿主的繁殖来传播。一种常见的生殖操纵类型是细胞质不相容性（CI），其中细菌导致感染的雄性与未感染的雌性不相容。这种不相容性破坏了未感染雌性的繁殖。以前，只有沃尔巴克氏体细菌被认为是导致这种操纵的原因。然而，最近发现的细菌Cardinium也会导致CI。该项目是Cardinium的第一个生态研究，并将测试这种细菌如何在其黄蜂宿主Encarsia pergandiella中传播的模型，Encarsia pergandiella是农业害虫甘薯粉虱的重要生物防治剂。该项目还将检查感染Wolbachia和Cardinium的宿主中的CI，Encarsia inaron是美国观赏树木害虫灰粉虱的主要生物控制剂。该研究将研究两种细菌之间的相互作用，以及它们对宿主的单独和组合影响。该研究将确定是否有一种或两种细菌导致CI，以及它们是否相互不相容。这项研究将有助于更好地了解CI细菌的两个谱系如何传播和影响其宿主。人们对CI细菌抑制害虫和病原体的潜力非常感兴趣。这项研究的更广泛影响包括应用于农业害虫管理和预防由昆虫和蜱传播的人类疾病，如疟疾和莱姆病。这项研究也将有助于通过培养研究生和本科生的教育。

Insects and their relatives are commonly infected with maternally inherited bacteria that spread by manipulating the reproduction of their hosts. A common type of reproductive manipulation is cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), in which bacteria cause infected males to be incompatible with uninfected females. This incompatibility sabotages the reproduction of uninfected females. Previously, only the bacterium Wolbachia was thought to cause this kind of manipulation. However, the recently discovered bacterium Cardinium also causes CI. This project is the first ecological study of Cardinium and will test models of how this bacterium spreads in its wasp host Encarsia pergandiella, an important biological control agent of the agricultural pest, sweetpotato whitefly. This project will also examine CI in a host infected with both Wolbachia and Cardinium, Encarsia inaron, the primary biological control agent of ash whitefly, a pest of ornamental trees in the US. The study will examine interactions between the two bacteria, and their individual and combined effects on the host. The study will determine if either, or both bacteria cause CI, and if they are mutually incompatible. This research will contribute to a better understanding of how two lineages of CI bacteria spread and affect their hosts. There is much interest in the potential of CI bacteria to suppress pests and disease agents. Broader impacts of this research include applications for management of agricultural pests and prevention of human diseases that are transmitted by insects and ticks, such as malaria and Lyme disease. This research will also contribute to education by training graduate and undergraduate students.