In my PhD thesis I have studied different aspects of the biology of the male-killing (MK) Wolbachia strain wBol1 that infects the tropical butterfly Hypolimnas bolina. First I have investigated the causes and consequences of the recent spread of wBol1 in the South Pacific Islands, bringing new insights into the biogeography of this bacterium. Theoretical studies predicted that MK symbionts could n

La valorisation des plantes indigènes et endémiques de Polynésie française ne doit pas faire oublier la nécessité de conserver ce patrimoine naturel déjà fortement menacé par les activités humaines. Comme le souligne François Ramade (1999 :210), « le rôle croissant joué par les substances extraites de plantes dans la recherche et le développement de l’industrie pharmaceutique constitue à lui seul

Wolbachia and other intracellular bacteria that manipulate reproduction are widespread and can have major consequences on the ecology and evolution of their hosts. Several studies have attempted to assess the host range of these bacteria based on polymerase chain reaction assays on material preserved and collected using a variety of methods. While collecting in the field, mass storage in ethanol b

Despite the fact that we are witnessing the emergence of a populist Zeitgeist worldwide, we run the danger of developing conceptual and operational definitions of populism that do not meet the theoretical challenges of the phenomenon or the political exigencies of our time. Yet there are sufficient commonalities in what appears to be a cacophonic universe made up by exclusivist movements and parti

Reproductive parasites such as Wolbachia can spread through uninfected host populations by increasing the relative fitness of the infected maternal lineage. However, empirical estimates of how fast this process occurs are limited. Here we use nucleotide sequences of male‐killing Wolbachia bacteria and co‐inherited mitochondria to address this issue in the island butterfly Hypolimnas bolina. We sho

Maternally inherited insect symbionts often manipulate host reproduction for their own benefit. Symbionts are transmitted to the next host generation through the female hosts, and as such males represent dead ends for transmission. Natural selection therefore favors symbiont-induced phenotypes that provide a reproductive advantage to infected females, regardless of possible negative selective effe

In order to evaluate the emulsifying characteristics of a protein the effect of processing of a protein stabilized soybean oil‐in‐water emulsion on the creaming stability of the emulsion was investigated. Three protein systems were used, namely soybean protein isolate, sodium caseinate and whey protein concentrate (WPC). The effects of four different types of emulsifying equipment, an ultra‐turrax

Most genome sequencing projects using intracellular bacteria face difficulties in obtaining sufficient bacterial DNA free of host contamination. We have developed a simple and rapid protocol to isolate endosymbiont DNA virtually free from fly and mosquito host DNA. We purified DNA from six Wolbachia strains in preparation for genome sequencing using this method, and achieved up to 97% pure Wolbach

A new construction of a drop volume apparatus has proved to be successful in determining the interfacial tension for a variety of pure liquids as well as for solutions having surface tensions, which come to equilibrium quickly. Temperature dependence of the surface tension can easily be recorded even at elevated temperatures, which has been shown for water.

We investigated inbreeding depression and genetic load in a small (Ne ∼ 100) population of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia), which has been completely isolated on a small island [Pikku Tytärsaari (PT)] in the Baltic Sea for at least 75 y. As a reference, we studied conspecific populations from the well-studied metapopulation in the Åland Islands (ÅL), 400 km away. A large popul

On small isolated islands, natural selection is expected to reduce the dispersal capacity of organisms, as short distances do not require a high rate of dispersal, which might lead to accidental emigration from the population. In addition, individuals foregoing the high cost of maintaining flight capacity may instead allocate resources to other functions. However, in butterflies and many other ins

A new procedure for the application of the drop volume technique to measurements of the rate of adsorption of proteins at interfaces has been developed. The mode of adsorption of the proteins lysozyme, β-lactoglobulin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) at the air-water interface has been measured with the drop volume method and has been compared to measurements with the Wilhelmy plate technique. Due t

Habitat loss and fragmentation threaten the long-term viability of innumerablespecies of plants and animals. At the same time, habitat fragmentation mayimpose strong natural selection and lead to evolution of life histories with possibleconsequences for demographic dynamics. The Baltic populations of the Glanvillefritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) inhabit regions with highly fragmented habitat

Dr. Anne‐Marie Hermansson is heartily thanked for her kind interest in this work, and Dr. P. Walstra is thanked for his valuable comments. The authors are also much indebted to Ing. Ernst Braun for valuable advice during the construction of the emulsifying apparatus and for making the construction drawings. The practical construction work of the valve homogenizer and the ultra‐turrax by Jan Walter

1. The Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia L.) has a small population (Ne ∼ 100) on the small island of Pikku Tytärsaari (PT) in the Gulf of Finland. The population has remained completely isolated for ∼100 generations, which has resulted in greatly reduced genetic variation and high genetic load (low fitness). In particular, females lay small egg clutches with a low egg‐hatching rate

The adsorption behaviour of three food proteins, a soy protein isolate, a sodium casein‐ate and a whey protein concentrate, at the air‐water interface has been studied by the drop volume method. The kinetics of surface tension decay were evaluated in terms of different rate‐determining steps at different ionic strengths and concentrations. This analysis indicates the following characteristics conc

Protein stabilised emulsions have been prepared in a valve homogeniser incorporated into a recirculating emulsification system, where the power input and number of passes have been varied. The food proteins studied were a soy‐bean protein isolate, a whey protein concentrate (WPC) and a sodium caseinate. The emulsions obtained were characterized in terms of particle size distribution and amount of

The maternally transmitted bacterium Wolbachia pipientis is well known for spreading and persisting in insect populations through manipulation of the fitness of its host. Here, we identify three new Wolbachia pipientis strains, wHho, wHho2 and wHho3, infecting Hyposoter horticola, a specialist wasp parasitoid of the Glanville fritillary butterfly. The wHho strain (ST435) infects about 50% of the i

The success of maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria, such as Wolbachia, is directly linked to their host reproduction but in direct conflict with other parasites that kill the host before it reaches reproductive maturity. Therefore, symbionts that have evolved strategies to increase their host’s ability to evade lethal parasites may have high penetrance, while detrimental symbionts would