2023-01-012024-05-15https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/665079椰子犀角金龜危害棕梠科作物，廣泛分布於太平洋地區。目前首選防治方法是昆蟲病原 菌，其中綠疆菌和 Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) 特別有效。這些方法曾經成功，但卻在 不同國家施用後陸續失敗。綠疆菌的致病力取決菌株和氣候條件;且已發現對 OrNV 具抗性的 CRB-G 個體。因此針對不同地理分布的個體和病原菌的交互作用必須獨立研究以提出最適合的防治策略。 臺灣犀角金龜個體型為 CRB-G;但不知能抗 OrNV 與否。田間可見感染綠疆菌個體，但菌種不明。本研究室近期發現新病毒 Oryctes rhinoceros picornavirus (OrPV)，其致病力未知。如 果 OrPV 能控制臺灣犀角金龜，則可能應用於各國。另外，病毒和真菌可能有交互作用，因此 必須研究複合感染的影響。 本研究結合生物測定和轉錄體，了解犀角金龜對不同病原菌的反應以開發對 CRB-G 的生 物製劑。我將和病毒學家合作並結合自身對犀角金龜微生物學與轉錄體學之研究經驗回答以下 問題:哪種綠疆菌影響臺灣個體?氣候條件如何影響菌株效果?OrPV 如何感染並影響寄主?臺灣 OrPV 對國外個體有何影響;國外 OrNV 對臺灣個體如何影響?昆蟲被多種病原菌同時感染時，其免疫系統如何反應及病原菌間有何交互作用?透過本研究，將對上述生物更深入了 解，開發專為臺灣犀角金龜的防治策略;最終，期待新的 OrPV 防治策略能降低犀角金龜在各國危害。 The coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) is a serious pest of palm trees across the Pacific. The beetle is difficult to treat with pesticides, so entomopathogens are the preferred management tool. Two microbes are particularly useful: Metarhizium fungi, and the Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV), which is spread by adults and kills larvae. While both control measures were once considered highly successful, a string of failed management programs in different countries has raised alarm. Metarhizium virulence depends on both the fungal strain and local temperature and humidity, which are sensitive to global climate change. In addition, a beetle biotype called CRB-G that is resistant to OrNV is spreading across the Pacific. The mechanism behind this resistance is unknown. Something new is urgently needed to manage CRB-G. The consensus is that host-pathogen interactions for different geographical population of beetles must be studied independently to identify the best control system for each region. The relatively low wealth of the countries that depend on palm crops such as coconut means this problem has been relatively neglected. O. rhinoceros is a problem in southern Taiwan, and the biotype here is CRB-G, but whether the Taiwanese population resists OrNV is unknown. Wild Metarhizium infects beetles here, but the strains responsible are unknown. Importantly, my laboratory recently discovered a new virus, the Oryctes rhinoceros picornavirus (OrPV), whose pathology is unknown. If the presence of OrPV has kept Taiwan’s beetles under control, then this discovery could have significant applications for O. rhinoceros management in South Pacific islands. In addition, the two viruses and the fungus can potentially interact, increasing or decreasing each other’s effectiveness, meaning the impacts of co-infections must be studied. The goal of this project is to combine bioassays with transcriptomics to uncover how different O. rhinoceros populations respond to different pathogens on a molecular level, and then develop the ideal biopesticide formulation to control CRB-G. Using my background in O. rhinoceros microbiology and transcriptomics, and in collaboration with experts on Oryctes virology, the project will answer the following questions: What strains of Metarhizium affect Taiwanese beetles, and how does climate change these effects? How does OrPV infect and affect its hosts? What effect does Taiwan’s OrPV have on foreign beetles, and what effect do foreign OrNV have on Taiwan’s beetles? Lastly, how does the insects’ immune system respond to these pathogens, and how do the interactions change when multiple pathogens are introduced at once? The end result of this work, along with a deeper understanding of the organisms involved and much sequence data publicly deposited for scientists worldwide to use, will be a pest management plan formulated specifically to defeat Taiwan’s O. rhinoceros populations, and, ideally, a novel OrPV-based biocontrol that could greatly change the global struggle against this invasive pest.椰子犀角金龜; 昆蟲病原體; 綠殭菌; 病毒; 害蟲管理;Oryctes rhinoceros; coconut rhinoceros beetle; Metarhizium; viruses; pest management