Project summary
Project summary
The landscape and management effects on clonal variation and microbial symbiont diversity of the corn-leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis Fitch)
PN-III-P4-PCE-2021-0543.
Maize is the largest crop in Romania. Is cultivated in 2 million ha every year (an average of 18.6 million tons/year) making Romania the 9th largest producer in the world. One growing problem in maize cultivation is the occurrence of the corn-leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis Fitch (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in a last 5 years. The growing problems occurred in Germany, Poland, Hungary and from 2019 in Romania (Banat region) not only by its sup-feeding process but also by its virus transmission. Aphids are closely associated with microorganisms, obligate mutualist endobacterium (usually referred to as a primary symbiont), Buchnera aphidicola, which is maternally inherited. In addition, other maternally transmitted intracellular bacteria, such as Rickettsia sp. (α-Proteobacteria), Spiroplasma spp. (Mollicutes) and various γ-proteobacterial microbes (including Hamiltonella defensa, Regiella insecticola, Serratia symbiotica and Arsenophonus sp.) are harbored by aphids. These aphid secondary symbionts are often shared between divergent lineages and seem to undergo both vertical and horizontal transfer among matrilines. Several previous research reports suggest that these symbiotic bacteria communities are involved in different traits related to aphid biology, including resistance to parasitoid wasps, tolerance to heat stress and changes in the host plant range. The role of these symbionts in corn leaf aphids’ adaptations to various environmental conditions (low versus high complexity) and management systems (low versus high input of chemicals) however remains completely unknown.
Due to their relevant roles in aphid biology, the presence or absence of a secondary symbiont may have an important genotypic and phenotypic effect so that aphid microbial symbionts form a true second genome with the aphid host’s own genetic inheritance. Furthermore, symbiotic bacteria provide a selectable allelic variation that enables aphids to persist under different environmental conditions so that variations occurring in the symbiont genomes may affect aphid fitness and evolution. Host plant influence through management systems (low versus high input of insecticides) and surrounding high versus low environmental diversity (i.e. forest or other agricultural lands) may, however, have important ecological-evolutionary consequences for traits that affect corn leaf aphid clonal variation and the diversity of its primary or secondary bacterial endosymbionts. Therefore in the present study the following objectives were formulated:
O1: Can host plant (maize) management systems and its landscape complexity influence the corn-leaf aphid microbial (symbionts) diversity?
O2: Are these taxonomic compositions of bacterial symbionts stable within the aphid populations and clones during years?
O3: Are these bacterial diversity related to particular maize management systems, meaning that aphid clonal variations and pest control used are associated with particular secondary symbionts?
Prof. Dr. Adalbert Balog - project director - Sapientia University, Faculty of Technical and Human Science
https://ms.sapientia.ro/en/facult/departments/department-of-horticulture/prof-adalbert-balog-phd
https://publons.com/researcher/3701433/balog-adalbert/
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=23017784800
https://scholar.google.ro/citations?user=d9ki4Y0AAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Balog-Adalbert
Dr. Sorina Dinescu - Researcher - University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology
https://scholar.google.ro/citations?user=XXdSPUYAAAAJ&hl=ro
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sorina-Dinescu
Dr. Gratiela Gradisteanu Pircalabioru - Researcher - University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology
https://scholar.google.ro/citations?user=fLX_IEMAAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gratiela-Gradisteanu-Pircalabioru
In 2023 aphid sample collection around the Romanian maize cultures were realized. Altogether 8 location were found to be infected with R. maidis.
Aphids symbionts were analyzed using Metagenomic study of ARNr 16S
i) In October 19-20 first results were presented at the 27th International Conference in Plant Protection, Debrecen, Hungary, the title of the presentation was: “The role of endosymbiont bacterial community in aphids adaptation”. The conference program can be found at:
https://tab.mta.hu/files/3816/6566/9522/27._tnf_programfuzet_es_osszefoglalok-final.pdf
ii) In October 27-29 2022 I attended the International Conference entitled "Environment, Helth, Sequrity", in Debrecen, Hungary, where problems in food sequrity and new pest management protocols were presented by international experts. I participated without presentation.
iii) In November 25, 2022 I attended the Agriculture Conference organized by Hungarian Academy of Science and Association of Transylvanian Museums in Sfântu-George Department of Sapientia University, the title of the presentation was „The role of the bacterial symbionts at corn leaf aphids [Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch)] (Hemiptera: Aphididae)” The conference program can be found at:
Scientific papers published/Accepted/Under evaluation
Szabó, KA*., Bálint, J., Molnár, A., Aszalos, SzE., Fora, CG., Loxdale, HD., Balog, A*. (2022).
Associational susceptibility of crop plants caused by the invasive weed Canadian goldenrod, Solidago canadensis, via local aphid species. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 10:1080599.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.1080599 (IF. 3,00).
Csorba, A.B., Dinescu, S., Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, G., For a, C.G., Bálint, J., Loxdale, H.D., Balog, A*. (2024). Aphid adaptation in a changing environment through their bacterial endosymbionts: an overview, including a new major cereal pest (Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) scenario. Symbiosis. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13199-024-00999-z. (IF. 2,1)
Fora, CG., Dinescu, S., Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, G., Loxdale, H.D., Balog, A*. (2024). Oak aphids Tuberculatus Annulatus (Hartig, 1841) and Thelaxes Dryophila (Schrank, 1801) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) endosymbiont microbiome diversity alters between natural and artificial oak forests regeneration. Symbiosis (in press), 10.1007/s13199-024-01023-0. (IF. 2,1)
Csorba AB., Dinescu, S., Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, G., Fora, CG., Loxdale, H.D., Balog, A*. (2024). Corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) population expansion influenced by endosymbiotic bacterial diversity along a gradient of maize management and climate conditions. Crop Protection, (IF. 2.5; Q1) Elsevier, under evaluation.
Csorba AB., Dinescu, S., Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, G., Fora, CG., Keszthelyi, S., Loxdale, H.D., Balog, A*. (2024). Corn leaf aphid Rhopalosiphum maidis endosymbiotic microbiome diversity influenced by management and climate. Scientific Data, (IF. 5.8) Nature, under evaluation.