ESJ56 シンポジウム S01-1
Nina Wedell (University of Exeter)
Selfish genetic elements spread through populations by subverting normal patterns of inheritance in ways that increase their representation in the next generation. The maternally inherited bacterium Wolbachia, is estimated to infect >20% of all insects and is common in many other arthropods. It is well known for enhancing its transmission often at the expense of host fitness by inducing parthenogenesis, feminization, male killing, or most commonly, hatching failure in crosses between infected males and uninfected females ・cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Despite its dramatic ability to manipulate host reproduction its impact on host sexual selection remains little explored. I will discuss the importance of Wolbachia-infection on host sexual selection by drawing on examples from a range of insect hosts. I will present data from flies and moths infected with Wolbachia causing varying degrees of CI, and discuss its effects on mate choice, sperm competition, female multiple mating and male mating rate. I will also discuss the impact of male-killing Wolbachia on the mating system in butterflies, and argue there is strong evidence that Wolbachia is an important, but overlooked, selective force shaping male and female reproductive strategies in insects.