Endosymbiont diversity across native and invasive brown widow spider populations

Authors

Monica A. Mowery, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevFollow
Laura Cecilia Rosenwald, University of KentuckyFollow
Eric G. Chapman, University of KentuckyFollow
Yael Lubin, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Michal Segoli, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Thembile Khoza, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Robin Lyle, Agricultural Research Council-Plant Health and Protection
Jennifer A. White, University of Kentucky

Abstract

The invasive brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus (Araneae: Theridiidae), has spread in multiple locations around the world and, along with it, brought associated organisms such as endosymbionts. We investigated endosymbiont diversity and prevalence across putative native and invasive populations of this spider, predicting lower endosymbiont diversity across the invasive range compared to the native range. First, we characterized the microbial community in the putative native (South Africa) and invasive (Israel and the United States) ranges via high throughput 16S sequencing of 103 adult females. All specimens were dominated by reads from only 1–3 amplicon sequence variants (ASV), and most individuals were infected with an apparently uniform strain of Rhabdochlamydia. We also found Rhabdochlamydia in spider eggs, indicating that it is a maternally-inherited endosymbiont. Relatively few other ASV were detected, but included two variant Rhabdochlamydia strains and several Wolbachia, Spiroplasma and Enterobacteriaceae strains. We then diagnostically screened 118 adult female spiders from native and invasive populations specifically for Rhabdochlamydia and Wolbachia. We found Rhabdochlamydia in 86% of individuals and represented in all populations, which suggests that it is a consistent and potentially important associate of L. geometricus. Wolbachia was found at lower overall prevalence (14%) and was represented in all countries, but not all populations. In addition, we found evidence for geographic variation in endosymbiont prevalence: spiders from Israel were more likely to carry Rhabdochlamydia than those from the US and South Africa, and Wolbachia was geographically clustered in both Israel and South Africa. Characterizing endosymbiont prevalence and diversity is a first step in understanding their function inside the host and may shed light on the process of spread and population variability in cosmopolitan invasive species.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Notes/Citation Information

© The Author(s) 2024

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58723-2

Funding Information

This work was supported by a Zuckerman STEM Leadership Postdoctoral Fellowship to MAM. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1953223 and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Hatch No. 1020740).

Repository Citation

Mowery, Monica A.; Rosenwald, Laura Cecilia; Chapman, Eric G.; Lubin, Yael; Segoli, Michal; Khoza, Thembile; Lyle, Robin; and White, Jennifer A., "Endosymbiont diversity across native and invasive brown widow spider populations" (2024). Entomology Faculty Publications. 244.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_facpub/244