Development of Common Leaf-Footed Bug Pests Depends on the Presence and Identity of Their Environmentally Acquired Symbionts
Martha S. Hunter, Edwin F. Umanzor, Suzanne E. Kelly, Shaira Marie Whitaker, Alison Ravenscraft
Abstract
species. Further, we found that there was variation in performance outcomes according to symbiont identity, even among members of the stinkbug beneficial and environmental clade. This suggests that although environmental acquisition of a symbiont can provide extraordinary flexibility in partner associations, it also carries a risk if the partner is suboptimal.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyObligateNymphSymbiosisArthropodSymbiotic bacteriaZoologyHeteropteraFacultativeEcologyHost (biology)PEST analysisGenusEntomologyTransmission (telecommunications)InsectPhylogeneticsPathogenBacteriaInsect symbiosis and bacterial influencesPhytoplasmas and Hemiptera pathogensEntomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control