Wolbachia-induced effects on the life history traits vary across generations of the parasitoid wasp Habrobracon hebetor: Insights for mass rearing

Abstract

Wolbachia are the most widespread endosymbionts in Animalia, maternally inherited and capable of manipulating the reproductive system of their hosts. The Wolbachia-host interactions are often described as parasitic relationships, thought, Wolbachia are able to improve the fitness of some infected hosts. Habrobracon hebetor is an ectoparasitoid of lepidopteran larvae that are naturally infected with Wolbachia, which induces cytoplasmic incompatibility and enhances some fitness parameters after 8 generation as a short-term rearing. In this study, we evaluated the impact of Wolbachia on the life history traits of H. hebetor over successive generations using an age-stage, two-sex life table analysis. The results showed that generation had fitness costs on H. hebetor. Wolbachia infection affected developmental time and lifespan of H. hebetor, but showed no effect on the other life history traits. The developmental time was also affected by the interaction between Wolbachia infection and generation. Our results did not indicate a clear fitness cost or benefit of harboring Wolbachia in the host, however, generation considered as a negative factor on the productivity of insects under mass rearing conditions. This underscores the importance of considering the complex interactions between symbionts and their hosts when studying the ecological and evolutionary implications of these relationships.