Publications by authors named "Chelsey Caldwell"
Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) males have exaggerated horns that are used to compete for territories. Larger males with larger horns tend to win these competitions, giving them access to females. Agonistic interactions include what appears to be assessment and often end without escalating to physical combat.
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- Endosymbionts like Wolbachia influence the physiology and reproduction of their hosts, but successful transmission between generations is essential for their persistence, especially in Drosophila melanogaster.
- Research reveals that cooling temperatures impact the abundance of the wMel variant of Wolbachia during key stages of fruit fly reproduction, explaining variations in its prevalence across different climates globally.
- Genetic analyses show that temperature-sensitive traits, particularly a unique stop codon in a Wolbachia protein, adapt the wMel variant to thrive in temperate climates, suggesting potential for targeted use in biocontrol strategies against diseases transmitted by other insects.
Heritable symbionts can modify a range of ecologically important host traits, including behavior. About half of all insect species are infected with maternally transmitted , a bacterial endosymbiont known to alter host reproduction, nutrient acquisition, and virus susceptibility. Here, we broadly test the hypothesis that modifies host behavior by assessing the effects of eight different strains on the temperature preference of six subgroup species.
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