Journal
JOURNAL OF INSECT BEHAVIOR
Volume 36, Issue 1, Pages 59-67Publisher
SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS
DOI: 10.1007/s10905-023-09821-y
Keywords
Flight mill; vector dispersal; flight behavior; zebra chip; risk assessment
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Understanding vector dispersal capacity is crucial for assessing the risk of pathogen spread. In this study, we investigated the flight performance of Bactericera cockerelli infected with the plant pathogenic bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum.' We found that CLso infection reduced the propensity of the insects to engage in long distance flights. Our results provide valuable insights for developing strategies to prevent the establishment of CLso in new areas.
Understanding vector dispersal capacity is key to assessing the risk of spread of vector borne pathogens. For flying vectors, flight performance is associated with primary and secondary pathogen spread. However, because pathogens induce changes in vector physiology, pathogen status in the vector may impact vector dispersal. In this work, by using flight mills, we assessed the flight performance of Bactericera cockerelli that were infected or not by the plant pathogenic bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' (CLso), the causal agent of potato zebra chip disease and vein greening in tomato. Bactericera cockerelli performed short and long-distance flights, but CLso infection status affected the propensity to engage in long flights. CLso-free insects engaged in long flights significantly more often (57%) compared to CLso infected insects (25%). Average distance dispersed for long flyers was 185.33 m for CLso-free insects and 122.99 m for insects infected with CLso. However, distance dispersed was not statistically different by pathogen status of the vector. Maximal flight capacity recorded was 980 m. Overall, our data suggest that CLso reduces the propensity to engage in long distance flights. Our results can be utilized to fine-tune strategies to mitigate CLso establishment in new areas.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available