History matters: thermal environment before, but not during wasp attack determines the efficiency of symbiont‐mediated protection

Jones, Jordan E ORCID: 0000-0002-3484-4450 and Hurst, Gregory DD ORCID: 0000-0002-7163-7784 (2023) History matters: thermal environment before, but not during wasp attack determines the efficiency of symbiont‐mediated protection. Molecular Ecology, 32 (12). pp. 3340-3351.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.16935

Abstract

The outcome of natural enemy attack in insects is commonly impacted by the presence of defensive microbial symbionts residing within the host. The thermal environment is a factor known to affect symbiont-mediated traits in insects. Lower temperatures, for instance, have been shown to reduce Spiroplasma-mediated protection in Drosophila. Our understanding of protective symbiosis requires a deeper understanding of environment-symbiont-protection links. Here, we dissect the effect of the thermal environment on Spiroplasma-mediated protection against Leptopilina boulardi in Drosophila melanogaster by examining the effect of temperature before, during and after wasp attack on fly survival and wasp success. We observed that the developmental temperature of the mothers of attacked larvae, but not the temperature of the attacked larvae themselves during or after wasp attack, strongly determines the protective influence of Spiroplasma. Cooler maternal environments were associated with weaker Spiroplasma protection of their progeny. The effect of developmental temperature on Spiroplasma-mediated protection is probably mediated by a reduction in Spiroplasma titre. These results indicate that historical thermal environment is a stronger determinant of protection than current environment. Furthermore, protection is a character with transgenerational nongenetic variation probably to produce complex short-term responses to selection. In addition, the cool sensitivity of the Spiroplasma-Drosophila symbioses contrasts with the more common failure of symbioses at elevated temperatures, indicating a need to understand the mechanistic basis of low temperature sensitivity on this symbiosis.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Drosophila, parasitism, protection, Spiroplasma, symbiosis, thermal ecology
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	29 Mar 2023 08:15
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2023 02:49
DOI:	10.1111/mec.16935
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16935
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3169263