The Diversity and Dynamics of Fungi in <i>Dryocosmus kuriphilus</i> Community

oleh: Xiao-Hui Yang, Xiang-Mei Li, Dao-Hong Zhu, Yang Zeng, Lv-Quan Zhao

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-05-01

Deskripsi

<i>Dryocosmus kuriphilus</i> (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) is a gall wasp that induces insect galls on chestnut trees and results in massive yield losses worldwide. Fungi can cause the necrosis of chestnut trees and the death of gall wasps. The aim of this research was to investigate the potential role of <i>D. kuriphilus</i> in the transmission of fungi. We sequenced the ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer region 1 of fungi in <i>D. kuriphilus</i> adults, associated insect galls and the galled twigs of <i>Castanea mollissima</i>, using high-throughput sequencing. We compared the species richness, α-diversity and community structure of fungi in <i>D. kuriphilus</i> adults, insect galls and the galled twigs. We provide the first evidence that <i>D. kuriphilus</i> adults shared most fungal species with associated insect galls and the galled twigs, and were dominated by <i>Botryosphaeria</i> sp., <i>Aspergillus</i> sp. and <i>Diaporthe</i> sp. We suggest <i>D. kuriphilus</i> adults may be potential vectors of plant pathogens and may facilitate the transmission of fungi between chestnut trees. Furthermore, the fungi may horizontally transmit among <i>D. kuriphilus</i> adults, associated insect galls and the galled twigs.