Meeting Abstract
Microsporidia and Wolbachia are two different kinds of endosymbionts that can be found in various arthropod hosts, and can cause severe reproductive changes and affect population ratios. Wolbachia is a rather common endosymbiotic bacterium, while microsporidia are fungal endosymbionts, but both affect their hosts in various ways that overlap. These endosymbionts can affect reproductive success, sex ratios, and cause male killing or feminzination. While prior work has focused more on terrestrial species, there is interest in studying aquatic isopods and amphipods. The focus of our research was the potential effects microsporidia and Wolbachia can have on local aquatic isopods and amphipods. Using PCR, aquatic isopod and amphipod specimens were obtained from the Rice Creek Field Station in Oswego, New York, which were then observed to determine species and sex. No sex ratio bias or evidence of Wolbachia infection was found in the aquatic isopod, Caecidotea racovitzai. In the amphipod species, Gammarus fasciatus, we observed a moderately female-biased sex ratio, and found some evidence of infection by microsporidia. We are currently testing additional samples, and planning another field collection to compare possible seasonal effects, and we hope that further work will help us to understand the prevalence of these types of endosymbionts in aquatic systems.
