Vector-endosymbiont interactions

Research questions

1) What ecological factors affect endosymbiont presence and abundance in individual arthropod vectors?

2) Which mechanisms underlying endosymbiont persistency over space and time?

3) At which spatial scale endosymbiont variants may co-occur? 

Description

Endosymbionts—microbes that live within and engage in prolonged and intimate associations with their hosts—are gaining recognition for their impact on all aspects of their host life. We have characterized a unique system in which Wolbachia endosymbiont of fleas that infest wild rodents persist in all female fleas at high abundances but are only rarely found in male fleas. In the laboratory we have established two flea colonies, one that is naturally infected with Wolbachia and another that is Wolbachia-free. By combining laboratory experiments in these two flea colonies with genetic analyses of field and laboratory fleas we investigate the natural genetic diversity of Wolbachia in fleas and their relationships with their flea hosts. This research provides insights into the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms determining endosymbiont-host interactions.

Relevant publications

Flatau, R., M. Segoli, I.S. Khokhlova, and H. Hawlena. Wolbachia‘s role in mediating its flea’s reproductive success differs according to flea origin. 2018. FEMS Microbiology and Ecology, 94: art 157. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327040803

Flatau, R., M. Segoli, and H. Hawlena. 2021. Wolbachia endosymbionts of fleas occur in all females but rarely in males and do not show evidence of obligatory relationships, fitness effects, or sex-distorting manipulations. Frontiers in Microbiology 12, art 649248. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.649248/full