Endosymbiotic association is frequent in insects, and endosymbionts influence a range of biological processes in these organisms. The endosymbiont–insect association and interdependence allegedly result from random selection where ecological trade-offs take place and usually differ between the involved species. Insect behavior is potentially affected by this association, but the focus in such studies is symbiont presence rather than load, and overall behavioral patterns, not the individual set of integrated behavioral tendencies (i.e., individual personality). This knowledge gap limits the understanding of how the endosymbiont–insect association affects insect behavior and how this translates into fertility, as a measure of fitness. Here, we assessed the endosymbiont load of maize weevils [Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)], which hosts two symbiont species—Sodalis pierantonius and Wolbachia, and their association with weevil personality and reproductive consequences. Thus, individual female weevils were subjected to oral administration of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and tetracycline) to secure a range of symbiont loads, which were quantified by qPCR. Individual personality of these females was recorded before and after endosymbiont suppression, and also that of their progeny. Female weevils maintained their personality with symbiont suppression, which was not transferred to their progeny. Nonetheless, personality itself was more important in determining female reproductive output than endosymbiont load, which did not significantly alter individual integrated behavior. Thus, management tactics targeting endosymbiont suppression may not be as effective as initially anticipated, unless complete suppression of the obligatory symbiont S. pierantonius takes place.

内共生关联在昆虫中很常见，共生共生体影响这些生物中的一系列生物过程。内共生体-昆虫之间的联系和相互依存据称是由于在生态权衡下进行的随机选择而产生的，通常在所涉及的物种之间有所不同。昆虫的行为可能受到这种联系的影响，但是这类研究的重点是共生体的存在而不是负荷，以及整体行为模式，而不是综合行为趋势的单个集合（即个体性格）。这种知识鸿沟限制了人们对共生体-昆虫之间的联系如何影响昆虫行为以及如何将其转化为繁殖力（作为适应性指标）的理解。在这里，我们评估了玉米象鼻虫[ Sitophilus zeamaisMotschulsky（鞘翅目：Curculionidae）]，它拥有两种共生物种：Sodalis pierantonius和Wolbachia，以及它们与象鼻虫的性格和生殖后果有关。因此，将单个雌性象鼻类动物口服给予抗生素（环丙沙星和四环素）以确保一定范围的共生体负载，这些负载可通过qPCR进行定量。记录内共生抑制前后，这些雌性的个体个性，以及后代的个性。雌性象鼻虫通过抑制共生体来维持其性格，这种共性没有转移到后代中。尽管如此，在决定女性的生殖能力方面，人格本身比共生体负荷更为重要，因为共生负荷不会显着改变个体的综合行为。因此，针对内共生抑制的管理策略可能不如最初预期的那样有效，除非完全抑制了强制性共生体。S. pierantonius发生。