Ahmed Ashraf

Abstract

The phenomenon of endosymbiosis, or one organism living within another, has deeply impacted the evolution of life and continues to shape the ecology of countless species. For instance, the gut of insects is a rich fauna of bacteria symbionts with immense and tremendous effect on the biology of their hosts. Manipulation of Host Reproduction, Sex determination, Feminization and Parthenogenesis are some of the reproductive, behavioral and physiological potentiations of these endosymbionts. A unique feature in their mode of action is through vertical and horizontal transmission from parents to offspring. Vertical transmissions of endosymbionts through female hosts is a path explored by bacteria symbionts that engage in male-killing. Occasionally, female biased Sex Ratios (SR) have been found in the progeny of field-caught female insects. The mated daughters of such females were found to produce daughters and few or no sons. Such SR traits which is found in diverse bacterial taxa, such as the genus Spiroplasma of the class Mollicutes, the genera Rickettsia and Wolbachia of the \alpha subdivision of the division Proteobacteria, the genus Arsenophonus of the \gamma subdivision of the Proteobacteria have been reported for a wide variety of insect taxa. The extinction in one generation in population dynamics through male killing technique (MKT) or Female biased SR, when explored is a novel and potent tool for effective, ecologically friendly and enduring control of pest population. An attempt has been made in this review to elucidate the unmeasurable gains of harnessing the potentials of MKT for the effective control of insect pests.