The evolution of diverse interactions between Wolbachia bacteria and their invertebrate hosts: insights from a novel lineage infecting termite societies

沃尔巴克氏菌在无脊椎动物中广泛存在，它进化出了一系列显著的宿主相互作用，从寄生到互惠。我已经发现了感染结构害虫白蚁的系统发育新奇的沃尔巴克氏菌，并将研究它们的寄主效应和传播动力学。这将决定其他沃尔巴克氏菌已知的现象的普遍性，如细胞质不亲和性和水平转移。白蚁群落的复杂性使它们成为研究沃尔巴克氏菌如何传播的有趣候选者，其结果将对未来的白蚁控制策略具有潜在的价值。将对不同的沃尔巴克氏菌进行第一次比较系统发育检查，为它们的进化史提供新的视角。

Wolbachia intracellular bacteria are widespread in invertebrates, having evolved a remarkable range of host-interactions, from parasitic to mutualistic. I have discovered phylogenetically novel Wolbachia that infect the structural pests termites, and will investigate their host-effects and transmission dynamics. This will determine the generality of phenomena known from other Wolbachia, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility and horizontal transfer. The complexity of termite societies make them interesting candidates for studying how Wolbachia spread, and the results will be potentially valuable for future termite control strategies. The first comparative phylogenetic examination of diverse Wolbachia will be performed, providing new perspectives on their evolutionary history.