‘Drifting’ Buchnera genomes track the microevolutionary trajectories of their aphid hosts

Abstract

AbstractEvolution of Buchnera–aphid host symbioses is often studied among species at macroevolutionary scales. Investigations within species offer a different perspective about how eco‐evolutionary processes shape patterns of genetic variation at microevolutionary scales. Our study leverages new and publicly available whole‐genome sequencing data to study Buchnera–aphid host evolution in Myzus persicae, the peach potato aphid, a globally invasive and polyphagous pest. Across 43 different asexual, clonally reproducing isofemale strains, we examined patterns of genomic covariation between Buchnera and their aphid host and considered the distribution of mutations in protein‐coding regions of the Buchnera genome. We found Buchnera polymorphisms within aphid strains, suggesting the presence of genetically different Buchnera strains within the same clonal lineage. Genetic distance between pairs of Buchnera samples was positively correlated to genetic distance between their aphid hosts, indicating shared evolutionary histories. However, there was no segregation of genetic variation for both M. persicae and Buchnera with plant host (Brassicaceae and non‐tobacco Solanaceae) and no associations between genetic and geographic distance at global or regional spatial scales. Abundance patterns of non‐synonymous mutations were similar to synonymous mutations in the Buchnera genome, and both mutation classes had similar site frequency spectra. We hypothesize that a predominance of neutral processes results in the Buchnera of M. persicae to simply ‘drift’ with the evolutionary trajectory of their aphid hosts. Our study presents a unique microevolutionary characterization of Buchnera–aphid host genomic covariation across multiple aphid clones. This provides a new perspective on the eco‐evolutionary processes generating and maintaining polymorphisms in a major pest aphid species and its obligate primary endosymbiont.