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POSTERS: Pathogen‐Vector Interactions I

P-509 - Microbial Communities in Cold Climate Grapes and Social Wasps: Analysis of Overlapping Taxa and Cluster Rot Associations

Monday, August 4, 2025
4:30 PM - 5:15 PM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text: Cluster rot diseases represent a significant challenge to vineyard productivity, with complex ecological dynamics that remain insufficiently understood. This two-year comparative study (2023-2024) investigated the microbial communities associated with 'Marquette' grapes and social wasps (Vespula germanica and V. maculifrons) across three vineyard sites, testing the hypothesis that wasps serve as reservoirs and potential vectors for microbial taxa linked to cluster rot. Using amplicon-based sequencing of the ITS region, we identified significantly higher fungal diversity in wasps compared to grape samples (p< 0.001). Wasps harbored higher species richness (260.33 ± 33.72 fungal taxa in V. maculifrons and 258.67 ± 61.04 in V. germanica) compared to grapes (21.67 ± 8.74). Several cluster rot-associated genera, including Botrytis, Hanseniaspora, Fusarium and Diaporthe, were detected in both wasps and grapes, with consistently higher abundance in wasp samples. Core microbiome analysis revealed that wasps maintained a stable core community across years, while grape samples shared relatively few taxa. The temporal stability of wasp-associated taxa, despite environmental fluctuations, suggests they could serve as year-round reservoirs for vineyard-associated microbes. These findings provide evidence for wasps as components of vineyard microbial ecology and offer insights into the epidemiology of cluster rot diseases, highlighting the importance of considering insect vectors in integrated pest and disease management strategies for viticulture.