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Phoretic and internal transport of Raffaelea lauricola by different species of ambrosia beetle associated with avocado trees

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Abstract

Fungus farming ambrosia beetles carry their nutritional mutualistic fungi in specialized structures called mycetangia. Fungal propagules are also dispersed phoretically on the beetle’s exoskeleton. We determined the phoretic presence and abundance of Raffaelea lauricola, the causal agent of the laurel wilt disease in avocado, on five ambrosia beetle species: Xyleborus bispinatus, Xyleborus volvulus, Xyleborus affinis, Xyleborinus saxesenii and Xylosandrus crassiusculus. Beetles were captured while in flight, excavated from logs, and from logs placed in emergence chambers. Beetles collected by the three methods were assayed for the presence of internal (gut and mycetangium) and external (attached to the exoskeleton) colony forming units (CFUs) of R. lauricola. The pathogen was recovered from the exoskeleton of all beetle species. The collection method significantly influenced the frequency of pathogen recovery, and the abundance of both internal and phoretic R. lauricola was species-specific. Internal CFUs recovery was greater than phoretic recovery. Besides R. lauricola, other cycloheximide tolerant fungi, including mutualistic and entomopathogenic fungi, were isolated from the beetle’s exoskeleton. However, phoretic CFUs of R. lauricola were more prevalent and abundant than any other mutualistic phoretic fungi across the beetle species. Our results suggest that phoresy is a common mechanism of transportation of wood-inhabiting fungi and that phoretic transmission of R. lauricola may potentially contribute to the infection in avocado.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Rita Duncan and Armando Padilla for their help with the specimen collections. We thank Joshua Konkol (University of Florida) and Greg Wheeler (USDA-ARS) for suggestions to improve the manuscript. We thank James Colee for advice on statistical analyses. We thank Medora Krome for allowing access to the field site. This research was funded by NIFA grant 2015-51181-24257 and USDA ARS-UF Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement No. 5860388004 to Daniel Carrillo. The findings and conclusions in this preliminary publication have not been formally disseminated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the USDA; USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Funding

This research was funded by NIFA grant 2015–51181-24257 and USDA ARS-UF Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement No. 5860388004 to Daniel Carrillo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 18905 SW 280th St, Homestead, FL, 33031, USA

    Luisa F. Cruz, Octavio Menocal & Daniel Carrillo

  2. USDA-ARS, Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, Miami, 33158, FL, USA

    Paul E. Kendra

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  1. Luisa F. Cruz
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  2. Octavio Menocal
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  4. Daniel Carrillo
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Luisa F. Cruz and Daniel Carrillo conceived and planned the experiments; Luisa F. Cruz and Octavio Menocal carried out the experiments; Paul E. Kendra provided critical feedback and contributed with the edition of the manuscript; Luisa F. Cruz and Daniel Carrillo wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Luisa F. Cruz.

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Cruz, L.F., Menocal, O., Kendra, P.E. et al. Phoretic and internal transport of Raffaelea lauricola by different species of ambrosia beetle associated with avocado trees. Symbiosis 84, 151–161 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-021-00776-2

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