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Source- This post on ‘Wolbachia Bacteria’ has been created based on the article ‘Scientists find that a bacteria tricked a wasp to get rid of its males‘ published in ‘The Hindu’ on 15th July 2024.
Why in News?
The researchers of the Shenyang Agricultural University have made the observation that, Encarsiaformosa wasps almost never produced males. According to the researchers, the Wolbachia bacteria has manipulated the wasp Encarsia formosa to entirely get rid of its males.
About the Wolbachia bacteria Characteristics
a. Produce more females than males- Wolbachia bacteria are present in insect eggs, but they are absent in the sperm. Females can transmit Wolbachia to their offspring, whereas males cannot transmit the wolbachia bacteria to their offspring. This signals an evolutionary dead end to the bacteria. Hence, the Wolbachia bacteria have evolved ways to manipulate their insect hosts to produce more female than male progeny.
b. Leads to the extinction of male varieties- Wolbachia bacteria can induce unfertilised eggs to double the chromosome number and enable development of female wasps. The Wolbachia bacteria renders males superfluous.
About the Research
The scientists have discovered that wolbachia bacteria is ticking the wasps to get rid of its males. According to the researchers, the Wolbachia bacteria has manipulated the wasp Encarsia formosa to entirely get rid of its males.
Why is E. formosa of interest to the scientists?
E.formosa wasps are of interest to agricultural scientists because they provide an efficient way to control whiteflies. Whiteflies feed on the sap of plant leaves, causing productivity losses, and are thus a major agricultural pest.
UPSC Syllabus- Science and technology
