Whiteflies: a symbiosis puzzle

SemIDEEV
 29/05/2026
 12:00:00
 Diego SANTOS GARCIA, CBGP UMR1062 INRAe, Montferrier-sur-Lez - FRANCE
 IDEEV - Salle Rosalind Franklin

The evolutionary history of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) is linked to their primary endosymbiont, Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum, which provides essential amino acids absent in their phloem diet. Yet, this essential relationship is only the tip of the iceberg. Unusual for a primary endosymbiont, the Portiera genome exhibits instability in certain lineages, a phenomenon linked to changes in whitefly development. Moreover, bacteria such as Hamiltonella and Arsenophonus have evolved from facultative to co-primary endosymbionts, compensating for essential functions lost from Portiera and becoming required for host development. This multi-layered system is further supplemented by a dynamic gut microbiota. The generalist herbivore Bemisia tabaci, for example, can acquire and maintain environmental bacteria with the potential to degrade plant defence compounds. This suggests that the gut microbiota may facilitate whitefly adaptation to otherwise unsuitable host plants.