Thermal mismatch in a host-parasitoid interaction is likely mediated by
a viral symbiont
Abstract
High temperature events can disrupt species interactions, resulting in
ecological shifts as climate change continues. Current understanding of
the molecular processes underlying these disruptions is lacking,
especially in complex networks of multiple interacting species. Here we
investigate the impact of a high temperature event on the transcriptomic
and immunological interactions among an insect host, Manduca sexta, its
insect parasitoid, Cotesia congregata, and the parasitoid’s symbiotic
virus. High temperatures are lethal to developing parasitoids, but not
hosts. Using parasitoid egg in vitro experiments, immunological assays,
and RNAseq, we evaluated whether parasitoid mortality at high
temperatures is associated with A) increased thermal sensitivity of
parasitoid eggs, and/or B) altered functionality and expression of the
parasitoid’s symbiotic virus inside the host. High temperatures did not
significantly increase mortality of parasitoid eggs in vitro, suggesting
that direct temperature effects are not sufficient for causing
parasitoid mortality. In contrast, high temperatures disrupted viral
suppression of the host insect’s immune responses. At the transcriptomic
level, viral genes displayed patterns of expression dependent on their
location on the viral circular genome: genes on viral circles not
previously shown to integrate into host DNA showed reduced expression,
with the opposite for circles that integrate. These results suggest that
the genomic structure of the parasitoid’s symbiont may impose
constraints on the parasitoid’s thermal tolerance, limiting the
ecological functioning of a host-parasitoid system at high temperatures.
This research provides a framework for understanding how molecular
processes can contribute to ecological outcomes in complex species
networks under high temperature events.