Direct artificial selection for longevity in the parasitic wasp Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) enhances lifespan and fitness traits as a biological control agent

作者：Ziwen Teng, Yiting Wang, Yiran Huang, X. J. Wang, Fanghao Wan, Hongxu Zhou · 发表于：Journal of Economic Entomology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1093/jee/toag020 · 研究领域：Insect-Plant Interactions and Control、Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms、Insect behavior and control techniques

Longevity critically influences biocontrol efficacy, yet direct artificial selection for lifespan extension has rarely been documented in natural enemies. Here, we established long-lived lines of the parasitoid wasp Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae through artificial selection and investigated their phenotypic and genomic consequences. Two longevity-selected lines (LL1 and LL2) and their corresponding original control lines (OL1 and OL2) were generated. Females of LL1 showed a significantly extended lifespan by the fifth generation, whereas LL2 did not respond to selection. Notably, the longevity advantage of LL1 females persisted at generations 15 and 33 after cessation of selection. LL1 females also exhibited increased lifetime fecundity and enhanced resistance to cold and starvation, without changes in developmental duration, sex ratio, or body size. To explore the genetic basis of these traits, whole-genome resequencing was conducted on females and males from LL1 and OL1 at generation 33. Population genomic analyses revealed clear genetic differentiation between lines but not between sexes within lines. Selective sweep analyses in females identified genomic regions under selection enriched in energy metabolism and stress regulation, and integration with expression data revealed SNP variation and line-specific cold-induced expression of heat shock protein genes. Together, these results indicate that artificial selection can potentially produce a stable extension of female lifesp...