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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #343584
Research Project: Develop Pest Management Technologies and Strategies to Control the Coffee Berry Borer

Location: Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory

Title: When insect endosymbionts and plant endophytes mediate biological control outcomes

Author
item MICHAUD, J - Kansas State University
item PELL, J - Jk Pell Consulting
item Vega, Fernando

Submitted to: Biological Control
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2017
Publication Date: 12/1/2017
Citation: Michaud, J.P., Pell, J.K., Vega, F.E. 2017. When insect endosymbionts and plant endophytes mediate biological control outcomes. Biological Control. 116:1-2.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The identification of endosymbionts and endophytes within insect and plant tissues, respectively, has increased exponentially over the past 10-15 years, enabled largely by the proliferation of sensitive molecular techniques and publicly accessible databases of nucleotide sequences. However, the rate of detection and identification has far outpaced our understanding of their ecological significance. Although ubiquitous in a wide range of taxa, their presence is usually facultative; they are neither essential to the survival of the host species, nor do they infect all individuals in a population. They have been described as 'influential passengers', perhaps hitchhikers, but not simply freeloaders. As living organisms, they require nutrition, so their infection comes at some cost to the host, a cost that is presumably balanced by some ability to contribute specific physiological or ecological functions that benefit the host under particular ecological conditions. In arthropods, these benefits may include increased thermal tolerance, expanded geographic range, expanded host/diet range, enhanced immunity to pathogens, and protection against parasitism, although in many cases, putative benefits remain to be determined. Similarly, entomopathogenic fungal endophytes may reduce herbivory, serve as biocompetitors against plant pathogens, and increase plant growth (i.e., act as biofertilizers). Clearly, we are just beginning to understand how these organisms can mediate trophic relationships, alter the outcome of competitive interactions, and ultimately affect the very structure of arthropod and plant communities.