1 research outputs found
Parthenogenesis and sex-ratio distorting bacteria in Empoasca (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Leafhoppers
Endosymbiotic bacteria can induce parthenogenesis in many haplo-diploid species, but little is known about
their role in asexual reproduction in diplodiploids. Bacteria are essential for reproduction in the asexual lin eages of springtails and booklice, and possibly some weevils, but whether they are the causative agent of par thenogenesis remains to be proven. This would require comparing unisexual forms and their closely related
bisexual species, but such model species are very rare. Empoasca leafhoppers from the Madeira Archipelago
provide an excellent case to test whether bacterial infections can cause parthenogenesis. Here we examined
the diversity of the sex-distorting bacteria, Wolbachia, Cardinium, Rickettsia, and Arsenophonus, in three apo mictic morphotypes (A, B, C) and three bisexual relatives of Empoasca. Wolbachia of group B was present in
all unisexual and bisexual species. Rickettsia were the only bacteria restricted to the three unisexual forms,
suggesting an association between infection and asexual reproduction. In addition, we found Asaia for the
third time in the Cicadellidae, although this may have little to do with the reproductive mode of its host. Adult
females of morphotype C reared on plants watered with tetracycline solution did not result in the production
of male offspring. To our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest a possible association between bacterial
infection and parthenogenesis in apomictic XO/XX diplodiploid bisexual species based on a range of sex ratio distorting bacteria.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio