Status of bacterial symbionts of three Whitefly species (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae): Bemisia tabaci, Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Siphoninus phillyreae in Croatia, Montenegro and selected areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Štitasti moljci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) su kozmopoliti koji se hrane sadržajem floema, a štete uzrokuju na brojnim poljoprivrednim kulturama. Sadrže primarnog bakterijskog simbionta, te niz sekundarnih simbionata (SS) koji mogu utjecati na različite aspekte biologije kukca. Istraživanje je započeto, kako bi se utvrdio status Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) i Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) u Hrvatskoj, odabranim područjima Bosne i Hercegovine, te Crnoj Gori, u smislu: geografske rasprostranjenosti; infekcije i lokalizacije SS u razvojnim stadijima (od jaja do odraslog oblika); monitoringa pojave geminivirusa na području istraživanja i sposobnost prijenosa istih pomoću vektora B. tabaci. Istraživanje temeljeno na molekularnoj metodologiji je pokazalo: jedinstvene koinfekcije i lokalizacije SS kod tri vrste štitastih moljaca, koje se razlikuju od prijašnjih istraživanja; nepostojanje geminivirusa u istraženom području, ali efikasnost prijenosa geminivirusa u eksperimentalnim uvjetima, pomoću B. tabaci, od inficirane na zdravu biljku. Pojavnost devastirajućih geminivirusa je moguća na području istraživanja zbog specifičnog sastava SS i prisutnosti ovih virusa u susjednim zemljama. Provedena studija doprinosi istraživanju funkcije SS, te može biti korištena u osmišljavanju programa kontrole ovih važnih štetnika u poljoprivredi.Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are cosmopolitan phloem-feeders that cause serious damage in numerous agricultural crops. They harbor a primary bacterial symbiont, and a diverse array of secondary symbionts (SS) which may influence several aspects of the insect’s biology. The aim of this study was to identify the status of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) and Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) in Croatia, selected locations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, in terms of: geographic distribution; infections by SS and their spatial localization in all developmental stages (from egg to adult); monitoring geminiviruses presence in surveyed areas, and ability of the studied B. tabaci to transmit geminiviruses. Our studies based on molecular methodology revealed: unique co-infection and localization patterns by SS in three whitefly species, which differed from previously reported studies; absence of geminiviruses in the examined areas, but efficient geminivirus transmission by B. tabaci from infected to healthy plant in experimental conditions. Appearance of devastating geminiviruses can be expected in examined area due to specific SS composition and their presence in neighboring countries. Finally, the conducted studies contribute to investigating SS function in whiteflies, and can be used in designing programs to control these important agricultural pests