Novel Symbiotic Association Between Euwallacea Ambrosia Beetle and Fusarium Fungus on Fig Trees in Japan

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 12; p. 725210
• Main Authors: Jiang, Zi-Ru, Masuya, Hayato, Kajimura, Hisashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 28-09-2021
• Subjects: ambrosia Fusarium clade; Euwallacea interjectus; fig wilt disease; Fusarium kuroshium; Fusarium solani species complex; Microbiology; multi-gene phylogeny
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.725210

Ficus carica
plantations in Japan were first reported to be infested by an ambrosia beetle species, identified as
Euwallacea interjectus
, in 1996. The purpose of this study was to determine the symbiotic fungi of female adults of
E. interjectus
emerging from
F. carica
trees infected with fig wilt disease (FWD). Dispersal adults (51 females) of
E. interjectus
, which were collected from logs of an infested fig tree in Hiroshima Prefecture, Western Japan, were separated into three respective body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen) and used for fungal isolation. Isolated fungi were identified based on the morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data. Over 13 species of associated fungi were detected, of which a specific fungus,
Fusarium kuroshium
, was dominant in female head (including oral mycangia). The plant-pathogenic fungus of FWD,
Ceratocystis ficicola
, was not observed within any body parts of
E. interjectus
. We further discussed the relationship among
E. interjectus
and its associated fungi in fig tree.