| Abstrakt: |
Simple Summary: Maternally transmitted Wolbachia is one of the most common endosymbionts in many arthropods, influencing various aspects of host physiology, reproduction, and fitness. While recent studies on Wolbachia-Drosophila systems have revealed its influence on host thermal choice behavior, its broader impact on host thermal preference (Tp) in non-model insects remains poorly understood. The polyphagous leaf-miner fly, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), one of the most notorious pests of vegetable and flowers globally, harbors a range of bacterial symbionts, with Wolbachia being especially prevalent. This study aims to explore the effects of Wolbachia on the thermal preference of the invasive leaf-miner L. huidobrensis. Understanding the potential roles of Wolbachia in host thermal behavior is crucial for elucidating the co-evolution of invasive species and their endosymbiont Wolbachia in the context of global climate change and temperature extremes, and may offer insight for the development of pest control strategies utilizing Wolbachia. Heritable endosymbiont Wolbachia is prevalent among arthropods, serving multiple functions for their hosts. However, the role of Wolbachia in mediating thermal preference selection remains largely unexplored. In this study, we utilized a custom-built thermal gradient to evaluate the thermal preference (Tp) of 1367 individuals of the invasive leaf-miner Liriomyza huidobrensis with or without Wolbachia wLhui from Yunnan and Xinjiang populations. Under meticulously controlled conditions and with a vast sample size, we found no significant difference in the mean Tp between wLhui-infected and uninfected leaf miners from either population when host age and sex were not considered. Furthermore, generalized linear model (GLM) analysis revealed no significant correlation between average Tp and age, sex, or Wolbachia infection, nor interactions among these factors, except in the Xinjiang population, where Tp was strongly associated with host age. Finally, we discuss the ecological implications of these findings and propose future research directions on Wolbachia-mediated host Tp in the leaf miner. Overall, our findings do not provide evidence that Wolbachia significantly affects the thermal preference of L. huidobrensis. Further studies across different systems are needed to investigate the complex interactions between Wolbachia and insect thermal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
