SCIENCE@home

Effects of Host Plant on the Bacterial Community of the Leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus

Andrea Arpellino,Aya M. A. Elsayed,E. Gonella,Alberto Alma

Published 2025 in Insects

ABSTRACT

Simple Summary Management of Scaphoideus titanus poses a significant challenge to viticulture in Europe, as this leafhopper is the main vector of Flavescence Dorée phytoplasma. An important constraint in S. titanus control is its frequent immigration into vineyards from surrounding uncultivated areas containing wild vines originating from American Vitis rootstock. Movement between wild and cultivated plants may influence the biology of the insect as well as its microbiome, possibly affecting the insect efficiency in transmitting phytoplasmas. However, this aspect has received little attention so far. In this study, we evaluated the effect of feeding on different Vitis species on the bacterial communities associated with S. titanus immatures. A general reduction in the bacterial diversity was observed throughout insect development, and a variability of the non-dominant bacterial community was found according to the plant species. These results indicate a change in the microbiome composition of nymphs, which may have consequences both for the insect performance and the bacterial exchange with the plant at the adult stage. Understanding the dynamics of plant–insect–microbiome interactions is important because they may affect the biology and behavior of S. titanus, and, ultimately, phytoplasma epidemiology. Abstract The Nearctic leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus is the primary vector of Flavescence Dorée, a severe grapevine disease in Europe. This insect can complete its life cycle on both cultivated Vitis vinifera and American Vitis species, including rootstock-derived plants that have gone wild. While the movement of S. titanus between wild and cultivated vines is well documented, its biological implications remain unclear, particularly regarding the role of the insect-associated microbiome. In this study, we investigated how rearing S. titanus nymphs on different host plants, including American Vitis and several V. vinifera cultivars, affects its bacterial community. 16S rRNA metabarcoding revealed that the bacterial microbiome was dominated by two obligate symbionts, namely ‘Candidatus Karelsulcia’ and ‘Candidatus Cardinium’, with moderate but significant differences in microbial diversity among host plants and developmental stages. When these dominant symbionts were excluded, variability in the remaining bacterial community increased, indicating a modulation of minor taxa according to the plant offered. These findings suggest that host plant species influence the microbiome structure, potentially affecting the insect performance and the microbial exchange between wild and cultivated vines in the field, contributing to disease dynamics.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-47 of 47 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY

  • No citing papers are available for this paper.

Showing 0-0 of 0 citing papers · Page 1 of 1