Student 10-Minute Presentation
Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity
Student
Student Competition
Bibek Singh Parajuli
Graduate Candidate
University of Texas
Arlington, Texas
Alison Ravenscraft (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
University of Texas
Arlington, Texas
Thousand of species of true bugs (Hemiptera) participate in a mutualistic relationship with environmentally acquired bacteria in the Genus Caballeronia for their nutrition and development. Are all these bacteria functionally equivalent or do different insects benefit more from different symbiont strains? Previous research in squash bugs (Anasa spp.) has found no specialization among insect populations and species within Anasa. We expand on this work by inoculating leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopus) with either Caballeronia isolated from Leptoglossus (congeneric strains) or Anasa squash bugs (Heterogeneric). We predicted that the bugs inoculated with a congeneric isolate would perform better than those inoculated with heterogeneric strains, indicating host specialization at the insect genus level. However, we found no evidence of specialization across host genera. L. phyllopus showed no significant difference in fitness outcome when inoculated with congeneric or heterogeneric strains. Still, one congeneric strain resulted in slower development time, lower adult mass, and higher mortality. Our results demonstrate variation in the quality of the different Caballeronia strains but this is not driven by host specialization at the insect genus level. This study suggests that the potential acquisition of a sub-optimal symbiont strain by the bug resulting in lower fitness outcomes could be a limitation of environmental acquisition.