9604287 Karr The proposed research investigates the effect of a bacterial infection on reproductive success of the host it infects. Because the bacteria influences reproduction, it profoundly impacts both the population and evolutionary biology of its host. The bacterium, Wolbachia, reduces or abolishes the ability of male hosts to father offspring with uninfected females. Research preliminary to this proposal establishes that mild heat shock such as that encountered in the wild can reduce the reproductive incompatibility. The research would: (1) Determine the frequency with which D. simulans larvae naturally experience heat shock; (2) Determine the range of temperatures and the developmental stages at which the incompatibility can be cured; (3) Distinguish whether CI-abatement occurs via outright killing/suppression of Wolbachia and/or is mediated by increased expression of heat-shock proteins; (4) Experimentally examine whether natural heat shock actually cures the reproductive incompatibility in natural populations. The proposed research promises to integrate diverse aspects of ecological and evolutionary physiology, reproductive biology, molecular biology, population biology, and bacteriology, and is likely to yield results significant to each of these areas. Ultimately, this information could be useful for the rational design of new forms of biological pest control.
