Effects of tetracycline treatment on fitness and reproductive compatibility in Encarsia lutea, a key parasitoid of Bemisia tabaci
Biocontrol Science and Technology, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/09583157.2026.2691855
- Dergi Adı: Biocontrol Science and Technology
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Environment Index, Geobase, Zoological Record, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: antibiotic curing, biological control, cytoplasmic incompatibility, endosymbiont, parasitoid wasp, Wolbachia
- Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Endosymbiotic bacteria play fundamental roles in arthropod biology, by influencing development, reproduction, and ecological interactions. Among them, Wolbachia is the most widespread and impactful symbiont, capable of manipulating host reproduction through mechanisms such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), parthenogenesis induction, and other reproductive alterations. This study investigated the effects of tetracycline-mediated reduction of Wolbachia infection on key biological traits and reproductive compatibility in Encarsia lutea, a parasitoid of Bemisia tabaci. Given the importance of E. lutea in biological control programmes, the study further evaluated whether changes in Wolbachia infection status affect parasitoid survival, longevity, parasitisation capacity, and reproductive compatibility tetracycline-treated and untreated individuals. Wolbachia infection was confirmed using diagnostic PCR. A tetracycline-treated line was maintained for two generations, and newly emerged third-generation adults were used for longevity and parasitism assays. The results indicate that tetracycline treatment significantly reduced the survival rates and longevity of both male and female E. lutea with females showing a significant decline in fitness compared to untreated controls. Mating experiments demonstrated that crosses between uninfected females and infected males resulted in no progeny. Given the heteronomous biology of E. lutea, in which males develop on alternative hosts and only females emerged under the experimental conditions, the absence of offspring indicates CI-induced embryonic mortality of fertilised eggs. These findings provide insights into the reproductive biology of Wolbachia-infected E. lutea populations and have important implications for the optimising mass-rearing strategies and the efficacy of biological control programmes involving this and related parasitoid species.