Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Symbiotic Relationships
of Tephritids
Carol R. Lauzon
CONTENTS
Bacteria in the Life History of Tephritids: A Link to Nitrogen Provisioning
INTRODUCTION
Members of the family Tephritidae include some of the worldÔs most devastating agricultural pests
such as
(Weidemann), the Mediterranean fruit Þy. While much is known about
the biology and behavior of many of these pests, little is known about the association these pests
have with microorganisms, particularly with bacteria, and the possible roles bacteria play in their
life history.
Tephritid pests destroy the marketability and palatability of a variety of host fruits and nuts once
an adult female deposits her eggs into the host. The feeding of burrowing and voracious larvae is
accompanied by microbial contamination and fruit rot and thus product loss. Introduction of pest
tephritids into areas of favorable climate and host availability represents a major threat to agricultural
communities worldwide. For example, establishment of the Mediterranean fruit Þy in California
would result in devastating losses in crops and personal, state, and national income and employment.
It is estimated that if Japan alone refused importation of citrus from California, statewide loss of
income would be approximately $618 million, and if U.S. national quarantine implementation
occurred, each California family would lose approximately $3.6 billion of income (
www.cdfa.ca.gov).
Researchers are studying aspects of fruit-Þy biology that may provide new avenues of prevention
and control, yet the study of bacteriaÏtephritid relationships comes with numerous challenges asso-
ciated with the complexities of understanding and manipulating multitrophic interactions and micro-
bial ecology.
Ceratitis capitata
