Demographic evidence showing that the removal of Wolbachia decreases the fitness of the brown planthopper

Abstract

Wolbachia is a maternally inherited intracellular bacterium (Rickettsiaceae) that infects a wide range of arthropods and nematodes, plays an influential role in host development and triggers various reproductive abnormalities. In this study it was investigated whether Wolbachia infection of the Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) species of Guizhou brown planthopper (BPH) induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and alters BPH developmental timing, longevity, and fecundity. It was shown that although Wolbachia does not induce CI in the species of BPH, its absence decreases BPH fitness. Furthermore, the cross of a Wolbachia-free female BPH and an infected male (F▽ × M) resulted in a significantly shorter pre-adult developmental period (11.15 ± 0.22), significantly reduced ovi-days (5.80 ± 0.2438), significantly shorter longevity (22.9 ± 0.38), and lower fecundity (176.28 ± 5.79b). This cross also affected a series of population parameters by increasing the finite rate (λ) (1.2903 ± 0.02) and intrinsic rate value (r) (0.2548 ± 0.01), reducing the net reproductive rate (R0) (88.12 ± 19.9) and decreasing longevity (22.9 ± 0.38).