Thermal sensitivity of the Spiroplasma-Drosophila hydei protective symbiosis: The best of climes, the worst of climes

The outcome of natural enemy attack in insects is commonly influenced by the presence of protective symbionts in the host. The degree to which protection functions in natural populations, however, will depend on the robustness of the phenotype and symbiosis to variation in the abiotic environment. We studied the impact of a key environmental parameter-temperature-on the efficacy of the protective effect of the symbiont Spiroplasma on its host Drosophila hydei, against attack by the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina heterotoma. In addition, we investigated the thermal sensitivity of the symbiont's vertical transmission, which may be a key determinant of the ability of the symbiont to persist. We found that vertical transmission was more robust than previously considered, with Spiroplasma being maintained at 25 degrees C, at 18 degrees C and with 18/15 degrees C diurnal cycles, with rates of segregational loss only increasing at 15 degrees C. Protection against wasp attack was ablated before symbiont transmission was lost, with the symbiont failing to rescue the fly host at 18 degrees C. We conclude that the presence of a protective symbiosis in natural populations cannot be simply inferred from the presence of a symbiont whose protective capacity has been tested under narrow controlled conditions. More broadly, we argue that the thermal environment is likely to represent an important determinant of the evolutionary ecology of defensive symbioses in natural environments, potentially driving seasonal, latitudinal and altitudinal variation in symbiont frequency.

Automated summary

The presence of protective symbionts in insects can be influenced by the thermal environment, with vertical transmission of the symbiont found to be more robust than previously considered. The protective effect against parasitoid attack was found to be ablated before symbiont transmission was lost due to temperature sensitivity.