The value of an egg: resource reallocation in ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) infected with male‐killing bacteria

Male‐killing bacteria are thought to persist in host populations by vertical transmission and conferring direct and/or indirect fitness benefits to their hosts. Here, we test the role of indirect fitness benefits accrued from resource reallocation in species that engage in sibling egg cannibalism. W...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of evolutionary biology Vol. 24; no. 10; pp. 2164 - 2172
Main Authors ELNAGDY, S., MAJERUS, M.E.N., HANDLEY, L.‐J. LAWSON
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2011
Subjects
Adalia bipunctata
Animal reproduction
Animals
Bacteria
Birds
Cannibalism
Coccinellidae
Coleoptera
Coleoptera - microbiology
Disease transmission
endosymbionts
Female
Fitness
fitness compensation
indirect fitness benefits
Infections
Larva - microbiology
Larva - physiology
Male
male‐killing bacteria
Ovum
resource reallocation
Rickettsia
Rickettsia - physiology
Sex Factors
sibling egg cannibalism
Siblings
Species Specificity
Spiroplasma
Spiroplasma - physiology
Survival
Wolbachia
Wolbachia - physiology
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Summary:Male‐killing bacteria are thought to persist in host populations by vertical transmission and conferring direct and/or indirect fitness benefits to their hosts. Here, we test the role of indirect fitness benefits accrued from resource reallocation in species that engage in sibling egg cannibalism. We found that a single‐egg meal significantly increased larval survival in 12 ladybird species, but the value of an egg (to survival) differed substantially between species. Next, we tested the impact of three male‐killing bacteria on larval survival in one ladybird species, Adalia bipunctata. Spiroplasma reduced larval survival, whereas Wolbachia and Rickettsia had no effect. However, Spiroplasma‐infected larvae showed the greatest response to a single‐egg meal. The indirect fitness benefit obtained from a single egg is thus so large that even male‐killing bacteria with direct fitness costs can persist in host populations. This study supports the hypothesis that fitness compensation via resource reallocation can explain male‐killing bacteria persistence.
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ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02346.x