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Coevolutionary fine-tuning: evidence for genetic tracking between a specialist wasp parasitoid and its aphid host in a dual metapopulation interaction

Nyabuga, Franklin LU ; Loxdale, Hugh D ; Heckel, David G and Weisser, Wolfgang W (2012) In Bulletin of Entomological Research 102. p.149-155
Abstract
In the interaction between two ecologically-associated species, the population

structure of one species may affect the population structure of the other. Here, we

examine the population structures of the aphid Metopeurum fuscoviride, a specialist on

tansy Tanacetum vulgare, and its specialist primary hymenopterous parasitoid

Lysiphlebus hirticornis, both of which are characterized by multivoltine life histories

and a classic metapopulation structure. Samples of the aphid host and the parasitoid

were collected from eight sites in and around Jena, Germany, where both insect

species co-occur, and then were genotyped using suites of polymorphic microsatellite

markers. The... (More)
In the interaction between two ecologically-associated species, the population

structure of one species may affect the population structure of the other. Here, we

examine the population structures of the aphid Metopeurum fuscoviride, a specialist on

tansy Tanacetum vulgare, and its specialist primary hymenopterous parasitoid

Lysiphlebus hirticornis, both of which are characterized by multivoltine life histories

and a classic metapopulation structure. Samples of the aphid host and the parasitoid

were collected from eight sites in and around Jena, Germany, where both insect

species co-occur, and then were genotyped using suites of polymorphic microsatellite

markers. The host aphid was greatly differentiated in terms of its spatial population

genetic patterning, while the parasitoid was, in comparison, only moderately

differentiated. There was a positive Mantel test correlation between pairwise shared

allele distance (DAS) of the host and parasitoid, i.e. if host subpopulation samples

were more similar between two particular sites, so were the parasitoid subpopulation

samples. We argue that while the differences in the levels of genetic differentiation

are due to the differences in the biology of the species, the correlations between host

and parasitoid are indicative of dependence of the parasitoid population structure on

that of its aphid host. The parasitoid is genetically tracking behind the aphid host, as

can be expected in a classic metapopulation structure where host persistence depends

on a delay between host and parasitoid colonization of the patch. The results may also

have relevance to the Red Queen hypothesis, whereupon in the ‘arms race’ between

parasitoid and its host, the latter ‘attempts’ to evolve away from the former. (Less)
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
aphid, Metopeurum fuscoviride, hymenopterous parasitoid, Lysiphlebus hirticornis, tansy plant, Tanacetum vulgare, specialist, genetic variability, genetic tracking, metapopulation
in
Bulletin of Entomological Research
volume
102
pages
149 - 155
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:84858124618
ISSN
1475-2670
DOI
10.1017/S0007485311000496
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
7b11dc5a-a766-4b3f-ae4c-50a8f3d171df (old id 3954488)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:14:46
date last changed
2022-01-29 19:59:09
@article{7b11dc5a-a766-4b3f-ae4c-50a8f3d171df,
  abstract     = {{In the interaction between two ecologically-associated species, the population<br/><br>
structure of one species may affect the population structure of the other. Here, we<br/><br>
examine the population structures of the aphid Metopeurum fuscoviride, a specialist on<br/><br>
tansy Tanacetum vulgare, and its specialist primary hymenopterous parasitoid<br/><br>
Lysiphlebus hirticornis, both of which are characterized by multivoltine life histories<br/><br>
and a classic metapopulation structure. Samples of the aphid host and the parasitoid<br/><br>
were collected from eight sites in and around Jena, Germany, where both insect<br/><br>
species co-occur, and then were genotyped using suites of polymorphic microsatellite<br/><br>
markers. The host aphid was greatly differentiated in terms of its spatial population<br/><br>
genetic patterning, while the parasitoid was, in comparison, only moderately<br/><br>
differentiated. There was a positive Mantel test correlation between pairwise shared<br/><br>
allele distance (DAS) of the host and parasitoid, i.e. if host subpopulation samples<br/><br>
were more similar between two particular sites, so were the parasitoid subpopulation<br/><br>
samples. We argue that while the differences in the levels of genetic differentiation<br/><br>
are due to the differences in the biology of the species, the correlations between host<br/><br>
and parasitoid are indicative of dependence of the parasitoid population structure on<br/><br>
that of its aphid host. The parasitoid is genetically tracking behind the aphid host, as<br/><br>
can be expected in a classic metapopulation structure where host persistence depends<br/><br>
on a delay between host and parasitoid colonization of the patch. The results may also<br/><br>
have relevance to the Red Queen hypothesis, whereupon in the ‘arms race’ between<br/><br>
parasitoid and its host, the latter ‘attempts’ to evolve away from the former.}},
  author       = {{Nyabuga, Franklin and Loxdale, Hugh D and Heckel, David G and Weisser, Wolfgang W}},
  issn         = {{1475-2670}},
  keywords     = {{aphid; Metopeurum fuscoviride; hymenopterous parasitoid; Lysiphlebus hirticornis; tansy plant; Tanacetum vulgare; specialist; genetic variability; genetic tracking; metapopulation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{149--155}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Bulletin of Entomological Research}},
  title        = {{Coevolutionary fine-tuning: evidence for genetic tracking between a specialist wasp parasitoid and its aphid host in a dual metapopulation interaction}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007485311000496}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S0007485311000496}},
  volume       = {{102}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}