Bacterial plant pathogens affect the locomotor behavior of the insect vector: a case study of Citrus volkameriana – Triozae erytreae – Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus system
Résumé
Plant pathogens can alter the behavior of their insect vectors as well as their survival and reproduction. The African psyllid, Trioza erytreae , is one of the vectors of Huanglongbing, a citrus disease caused mainly by “ Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” ( C Las). The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of C Las on the psyllid, T. erytreae using Citrus volkamerina plants as the study system. The study focused more specifically on the C Las effects prior to and after its acquisition by the psyllid T. erytreae . Our results did not support the hypothesis that C Las effects psyllid probing behavior prior to acquisition; few differences were observed between uninfected T. erytrea feeding on C Las‐infected versus control plants. On the other hand, compared to psyllids that had completed their development on control plants, the ones that had completed their development on a C Las‐infected plant exhibited changes in their behavior (greater velocity), physiology (smaller mass) and biochemistry (lower water and lipid content). Altogether, our results confirm the existence of a marked postacquisition effect on the vector locomotor behavior and a minor preacquisition effect of C Las on the vector behavior, which can be partially explained by physiological and biochemical changes.