Pervasive effects of Wolbachia on host body mass and metabolic rate
Metabolic rate is a widely variable trait that reflects organismal energy expenditure. At least half of all arthropod species carry maternally transmitted Wolbachia bacteria, but it is poorly understood how these endosymbionts affect host physiology and fitness. We tested how two central host traits, body mass and standard metabolic rate (SMR), are altered by Wolbachia for nine diverse Drosophila…
Wolbachia bacteria, maternally transmitted among at least half of all arthropod species, can significantly impact host physiology and fitness. A study examined how Wolbachia affects two key host traits: body mass and standard metabolic rate (SMR) in nine Drosophila fly species and 13 co-occurring Wolbachia variants that diverged around 150 million years ago.
The study found that Wolbachia often altered body mass and/or SMR within each host system. In some cases, Wolbachia caused increases or decreases in body mass, which in turn affected whole-organism SMR. Other Wolbachia variants altered mass-adjusted SMR, indicating complex interactions between Wolbachia and host genomes. These findings suggest that endosymbiont effects on body mass and metabolic rate may have cascading consequences for host biology and evolution, as these central traits are closely linked to many aspects of host physiology, behavior, and life history.
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