Abstract
In this study, flow cytometry was used for assessing and comparing the genome size (GS) and the whole genome base composition (AT/GC ratio) of the saw-toothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.). In addition, the presence and frequency of endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria was studied. The haploid GS was estimated to lie within the range of 151.5-154 Mbp in O. surinamensis, making it the smallest value of haploid GS known among beetles. Furthermore, it was found that in eight silo pest populations GS was significantly smaller than in eight feral (native) populations obtained from fallen oak acorns. The ability of O. surinamensis to colonize different habitats globally could be connected with an unusually AT-rich (for an invertebrate) genome (AT-base content ranging from 68 to 76%). Native (feral) populations of O. surinamensis appear to have genetically diverged from the storage-pest populations tested. Larvae of pest origin survived better than larvae of native (feral) origin under laboratory conditions, which resembled silo conditions more than natural habitats.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 34-37 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Stored Products Research |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2010 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic (project nos. MSM0021622416 and LC 06073). We are grateful to Netta Mozes-Daube and Einat Zchori-Fein (Newe-Ya'ar research center, ARO, Ramat-Yishai, Israel) for their help regarding Wolbachia, to Bader Faras (Ministry of Agriculture, Plant Protection and Inspection, Israel) for helping us with collections in silos, and to Robin Permut (University of Haifa) for commenting on the manuscript.
Keywords
- AT/CG
- Genome size
- Oryzaephilus surinamensis
- Wolbachia
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Food Science
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Insect Science
- Horticulture