Global compositional variation among native and non-native regional insect assemblages emphasizes the importance of pathways

Pathways for accidental biocontrol: The human-mediated dispersal of insect predators and parasitoids

Introductions of insect predators and parasitoids for biological control are a key method for pest management. Yet in recent decades, biological control has become more strictly regulated and less frequent. Conversely, the rate of unintentional insect introductions through human activities is rising. While accidental introductions of insect natural enemies can potentially have serious ecological consequences, they are challenging to quantify as their movements go largely unobserved. We used historical border interception records collected by the US Department of Agriculture from 1913 to 2018 to describe the diversity of entomophagous insects transported unintentionally, their main introduction pathways, and trends in host specificity. There were 35,312 interceptions of insect predators and parasitoids during this period, representing 93 families from 11 orders, and 196 species from these families. Commodity associations varied, but imported plants and plant products were the main introduction pathway. Most interceptions originated with commodities imported from the Neotropical, Panamaian, and Western Palearctic regions. Among the intercepted species, 27% were found in material originating from more than one country. Two thirds of species were polyphagous host generalists. Furthermore, 25% of species had already been introduced intentionally as biological control agents internationally, and 4.6% have documented negative impacts on native biodiversity or human society. Most of the intercepted species that have not established in the United States are host generalists or have at least one known host species available. The unintentional transport of diverse natural enemy insects has the potential to cause substantial ecological impacts, both in terms of controlling pests through accidental biocontrol and disrupting native communities. Characterizing the insects being transported and their introduction pathways can inform biosecurity practices and management.

Peruvian origin and global invasions of five continents by the highly damaging agricultural pest Liriomyza huidobrensis (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

Identification of the geographic origin of invasive species can be critical to effective management and amelioration of negative impacts in the introduced range. Liriomyza huidobrensis is a polyphagous leafmining fly that is a devastating pest of many vegetable and floriculture crops around the world. Considered native to South and possibly Central America, L. huidobrensis became invasive in the 1980s and has since spread to at least 30 countries on five continents. We used phylogeographic analysis of over 2 kb of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and II sequence data from 403 field-collected specimens from both native and introduced populations to investigate the geographic origins of invasive L. huidobrensis worldwide. Within South America, there was substantial genetic variation, as well as the strong phylogeographic structure typical of a native range. In contrast, leafminers from the introduced range and Central America all contained little genetic variation and shared the same small set of haplotypes. These haplotypes trace to Peru as the ultimate geographic origin of invasive populations. Central America is rejected as part of the original geographic range of L. huidobrensis. Within Peru, the primary export region of Lima shared an extremely similar pattern of reduced haplotype variation to the invasive populations. An additional 18 specimens collected at US ports of entry did not share the same haplotype profile as contemporary invasive populations, raising perplexing questions on global pathways and establishment success in this species.

Economic impact disharmony in global biological invasions

A dominant syndrome of the Anthropocene is the rapid worldwide spread of invasive species with devastating environmental and socio-economic impacts. However, the dynamics underlying the impacts of biological invasions remain contested. A hypothesis posits that the richness of impactful invasive species increases proportionally with the richness of non-native species more generally. A competing hypothesis suggests that certain species features disproportionately enhance the chances of non-native species becoming impactful, causing invasive species to arise disproportionately relative to the numbers of non-native species. We test whether invasive species with reported monetary costs reflect global numbers of established non-native species among phyla, classes, and families. Our results reveal that numbers of invasive species with economic costs largely reflect non-native species richness among taxa (i.e., in 96 % of families). However, a few costly taxa were over- and under-represented, and their composition differed among environments and regions. Chordates, nematodes, and pathogenic groups tended to be the most over-represented phyla with reported monetary costs, with mammals, insects, fungi, roundworms, and medically-important microorganisms being over-represented classes. Numbers of costly invasive species increased significantly with non-native richness per taxon, while monetary cost magnitudes at the family level were also significantly related to costly invasive species richness. Costs were biased towards a few 'hyper-costly' taxa (such as termites, mosquitoes, cats, weevils, rodents, ants, and asters). Ordination analysis revealed significant dissimilarity between non-native and costly invasive taxon assemblages. These results highlight taxonomic groups which harbour disproportionately high numbers of costly invasive species and monetary cost magnitudes. Collectively, our findings support prevention of arrival and containment of spread of non-native species as a whole through effective strategies for mitigation of the rapidly amplifying impacts of invasive species. Yet, the hyper- costly taxa identified here should receive greater focus from managers to reduce impacts of current invasive species.

Potential Global Distribution of Paracoccus marginatus, under Climate Change Conditions, Using MaxEnt

The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus, is an invasive pest species found all over the world. It is native to Mexico and Central America, but is now present in more than 50 countries and regions, seriously threatening the economic viability of the agricultural and forestry industry. In the current study, the global potential distribution of P. marginatus was predicted under current and future climatic conditions using MaxEnt. The results of the model assessment indicated that the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic ( ROC-AUC) was 0.949, while the TSS value was 0.820. The results also showed that the three variables with the greatest impact on the model were min temperature of coldest month (bio6), precipitation of wettest month (bio13), and precipitation of coldest quarter (bio19), with corresponding contributions of 46.8%, 31.1%, and 13.1%, respectively. The results indicated that the highly suitable areas were mainly located in tropical and subtropical regions, including South America, southern North America, Central America, Central Africa, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. Under four climate scenarios in the 2050s and 2070s, the area of suitability will change very little. Moreover, the results showed that the area of suitable areas in 2070s increased under all four climate scenarios compared to the current climate. In contrast, the area of suitable habitat increases from the current to the 2050s under the SSP370 and SSP585 climate scenarios. The current study could provide a reference framework for the future control and management of papaya mealybug and other invasive species.

Invasive alien insects represent a clear but variable threat to biodiversity

Invasive alien insects are an important yet understudied component of the general threat that biological invasions pose to biodiversity. We quantified the breadth and level of this threat by performing environmental impact assessments using a modified version of the Environmental Impact Assessment for Alien Taxa (EICAT) framework. This represents the largest effort to date on quantify the environmental impacts of invasive alien insects. Using a relatively large and taxonomically representative set of insect species that have established non-native populations around the globe, we tested hypotheses on: (1) socioeconomic and (2) taxonomic biases, (3) relationship between range size and impact severity and (4) island susceptibility. Socioeconomic pests had marginally more environmental impact information than non-pests and, as expected, impact information was geographically and taxonomically skewed. Species with larger introduced ranges were more likely, on average, to have the most severe local environmental impacts (i.e. a global maximum impact severity of 'Major'). The island susceptibility hypothesis found no support, and both island and mainland systems experience similar numbers of high severity impacts. These results demonstrate the high variability, both within and across species, in the ways and extents to which invasive insects impact biodiversity, even within the highest profile invaders. However, the environmental impact knowledge base requires greater taxonomic and geographic coverage, so that hypotheses about invasion impact can be developed towards identifying generalities in the biogeography of invasion impacts.

Weak genetic structure of flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa in China revealed by mitochondrial genomes

Human activities facilitate long-distance dispersal of insects beyond their native range. In particular, the transportation of live plants offers diffusion opportunities for some insects with weak flight abilities. The increase in urban afforestation also help insect reside in urban habitats. The flower thrips, Frankliniella intonsa, is a widespread pest that causes serious damage to many economically important plants. Human activities are likely to facilitate the dispersal of this pest, however, the population genetic structure of this pest remains unclear. Herein, high-throughput sequencing was used to obtain 149 whole mitochondrial genomes of flower thrips from 28 geographic populations in China. Population genetic analyses, phylogenetic reconstruction, and inference of demographic history were then performed. A weak genetic structure was found among all populations across large geographic distance in China, in which five mitochondrial haplotype lineages were resolved. One of the lineages was identified to be shared among most samples collected from central city areas, which may be derived from the surrounding areas. Demographic history analyses suggested a recent population expansion of F. intonsa. Overall, the present population genetic structure of flower thrips in China may be promoted by human-mediated urban afforestation across the country.

Uncovering the Male Presence in Parthenogenetic Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera: Marchalinidae): Insights into Its mtDNA Divergence and Reproduction Strategy

Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera: Marchalinidae), an endemic species in Greece and Turkey, is a major contributor to the annual honey production in its native range. However, in the areas that it invades, lacking natural enemies, it has detrimental effects on pine trees and potentially contributes to tree mortality. Although it was originally reported as thelytokous, males were later reported in Turkey and on several of the islands of Greece. To further disambiguate the exact parthenogenetic reproduction strategy of M. hellenica, we studied the emergence pattern of male individuals in Greece for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022). Furthermore, we examined the genetic variation among 15 geographically distant populations of M. hellenica in Greece using a mitochondrial DNA marker and compared the results with data from Turkey. The findings of this study document the existence of an additional M. hellenica population in its native range that repeatedly produces males, apart from the areas of Greece and Turkey in which they were initially reported, suggesting that males play a major, so far unknown role in the reproduction of this species. The populations in Greece and Turkey exhibited a strong genetic affinity, while human-aided dispersal seems to have obscured the genetic pattern acquired.

Phylogenetic risk assessment is robust for forecasting the impact of European insects on North American conifers

Some introduced species cause severe damage, although the majority have little impact. Robust predictions of which species are most likely to cause substantial impacts could focus efforts to mitigate those impacts or prevent certain invasions entirely. Introduced herbivorous insects can reduce crop yield, fundamentally alter natural and managed forest ecosystems, and are unique among invasive species in that they require certain host plants to succeed. Recent studies have demonstrated that understanding the evolutionary history of introduced herbivores and their host plants can provide robust predictions of impact. Specifically, divergence times between hosts in the native and introduced ranges of a nonnative insect can be used to predict the potential impact of the insect should it establish in a novel ecosystem. However, divergence time estimates vary among published phylogenetic datasets, making it crucial to understand if and how the choice of phylogeny affects prediction of impact. Here, we tested the robustness of impact prediction to variation in host phylogeny by using insects that feed on conifers and predicting the likelihood of high impact using four different published phylogenies. Our analyses ranked 62 insects that are not established in North America and 47 North American conifer species according to overall risk and vulnerability, respectively. We found that results were robust to the choice of phylogeny. Although published vascular plant phylogenies continue to be refined, our analysis indicates that those differences are not substantial enough to alter the predictions of invader impact. Our results can assist in focusing biosecurity programs for conifer pests and can be more generally applied to nonnative insects and their potential hosts by prioritizing surveillance for those insects most likely to be damaging invaders.

A bug’s tale: revealing the history, biogeography and ecological patterns of 500 years of insect invasions

The arrival of Europeans to the Americas triggered a massive exchange of organisms on a continental scale. This exchange was accelerated by the rapid increase in the movement of people and goods during the 20th century. In Chile, scientific and technical literature contains hundreds of records of non-native insect species established in different parts of the territory, from the hyperarid Atacama Desert to the Magallanes Region. Here, we analyse temporal trends, taxonomic diversity, biogeographic origin and main impacts of these species on different sectors in Chile from the European arrival to the present. Our task includes a review of old records in museum catalogues, libraries, collections, expedition records and catalogues. Almost 600 species of non-native insects have been reported to be established in Chile. Introductions started with the very arrival of Europeans to the central valley of Chile and underwent a huge acceleration in the second half of the 20th century. The order Hemiptera was the most prevalent amongst non-native insects. Most species are linked to agriculture and forestry. Species are of Palearctic origin in more than 50% of the records. In terms of temporal trends, the rate of established non-native species shows an abrupt increase at the beginning of the 1950s. This change may be associated with the strong development in agriculture and forestry in Chile after World War II and the increase in intercontinental air traffic. We believe that the understanding of past patterns of introductions is an important component in the design of current policies to minimise the impact of invasive insects.

Forest Insect Biosecurity: Processes, Patterns, Predictions, Pitfalls

The economic and environmental threats posed by non-native forest insects are ever increasing with the continuing globalization of trade and travel; thus, the need for mitigation through effective biosecurity is greater than ever. However, despite decades of research and implementation of preborder, border, and postborder preventative measures, insect invasions continue to occur, with no evidence of saturation, and are even predicted to accelerate. In this article, we review biosecurity measures used to mitigate the arrival, establishment, spread, and impacts of non-native forest insects and possible impediments to the successful implementation of these measures. Biosecurity successes are likely under-recognized because they are difficult to detect and quantify, whereas failures are more evident in the continued establishment of additional non-native species. There are limitations in existing biosecurity systems at global and country scales (for example, inspecting all imports is impossible, no phytosanitary measures are perfect, knownunknowns cannot be regulated against, and noncompliance is an ongoing problem). Biosecurity should be a shared responsibility across countries, governments, stakeholders, and individuals.

A menu of measures to manage trade-related plant pest risks, and a review of methods for demonstrating measure efficacy

Ever-increasing global trade is one of the most important introduction pathways for plant pests. A diverse range of risk-reducing measures can be applied depending on the pest, the commodity and the import requirements. We used a review of over 1,800 risk reduction measures to extend a risk framework and menu of measures, previously developed for horticulture, to be applied to any commodity. We also reviewed how the efficacy of risk reduction measures is demonstrated, and assessed the maturity of the supporting science. We identified 39 unique risk reduction measures that were classified according to how they reduce risk. These were grouped under ten measure categories and four risk reduction objectives (minimising exposure to pest, minimising vulnerability of the commodity, reducing infestation rate and reducing establishment risk). These could then be applied against one or more consignment stages (production, post-production and post-border). Measures covered both commercial activities that reduce risk and may contribute to pest risk assessment, and regulated measures mandated to address unrestricted risk. Almost 90% of citations included measures that minimised exposure to pests or reduced infestation. Some measures were rarely reported, and some commodity classes had few measures associated with them, suggesting that available measures are being underutilised. Clear guidance was apparent for demonstrating efficacy of some measures (e.g., kill treatments), but lacking for many others. Compiling a ‘menu of risk reduction measures’ according to how they reduce risk, accompanied by clear guidelines for demonstrating efficacy, provides a robust basis for agreement between jurisdictions, and the further development, refinement and communication of efforts to both assess and manage the risk of global, trade-related pest movement. Agreement on how efficacy can be demonstrated for less utilised measures identified in this study will contribute to the further development of risk-based trade.

The fast invasion of Europe by the box tree moth: an additional example coupling multiple introduction events, bridgehead effects and admixture events

Identifying the invasion routes of non-native species is crucial to understanding invasions and customizing management strategies. The box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis, is native to Asia and was recently accidentally introduced into Europe as a result of the ornamental plant trade. Over the last 15 years, it has spread across the continent and has reached the Caucasus and Iran. It is threatening Buxus trees in both urban areas and forests. To investigate the species’ invasion routes, native and invasive box tree moth populations were sampled, and moth’s genetic diversity and structure were compared using microsatellite markers. Our approximate Bayesian computation analyses strongly suggest that invasion pathways were complex. Primary introductions originating from eastern China probably occurred independently twice in Germany and once in the Netherlands. There were also possibly bridgehead effects, where at least three invasive populations may have served as sources for other invasive populations within Europe, with indication of admixture between the two primary invasive populations. The bridgehead populations were likely those in the countries that play a major role in the ornamental plant trade in Europe, notably Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy. All these invasion processes likely facilitated its fast expansion across Europe and illustrate the role played by the ornamental plant trade not only in the moth’s introduction from China but also in the species’ spread across Europe, leading to an invasion with a complex pattern.

Worldwide border interceptions provide a window into human-mediated global insect movement

As part of national biosecurity programs, cargo imports, passenger baggage, and international mail are inspected at ports of entry to verify compliance with phytosanitary regulations and to intercept potentially damaging nonnative species to prevent their introduction. Detection of organisms during inspections may also provide crucial information about the species composition and relative arrival rates in invasion pathways that can inform the implementation of other biosecurity practices such as quarantines and surveillance. In most regions, insects are the main taxonomic group encountered during inspections. We gathered insect interception data from nine world regions collected from 1995 to 2019 to compare the composition of species arriving at ports in these regions. Collectively, 8,716 insect species were intercepted in these regions over the last 25 yr, with the combined international data set comprising 1,899,573 interception events, of which 863,972 were identified to species level. Rarefaction analysis indicated that interceptions comprise only a small fraction of species present in invasion pathways. Despite differences in inspection methodologies, as well as differences in the composition of import source regions and imported commodities, we found strong positive correlations in species interception frequencies between regions, particularly within the Hemiptera and Thysanoptera. There were also significant differences in species frequencies among insects intercepted in different regions. Nevertheless, integrating interception data among multiple regions would be valuable for estimating invasion risks for insect species with high likelihoods of introduction as well as for identifying rare but potentially damaging species.

Evidence for multiple introductions of an invasive wild bee species currently under rapid range expansion in Europe

BACKGROUND

Invasive species are increasingly driving biodiversity decline, and knowledge of colonization dynamics, including both drivers and dispersal modes, are important to prevent future invasions. The bee species Megachile sculpturalis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), native to East-Asia, was first recognized in Southeast-France in 2008, and has since spread throughout much of Europe. The spread is very fast, and colonization may result from multiple fronts.

RESULT

To track the history of this invasion, codominant markers were genotyped using Illumina sequencing and the invasion history and degree of connectivity between populations across the European invasion axis were investigated. Distinctive genetic clusters were detected with east-west differentiations in Middle-Europe.

CONCLUSION

We hypothesize that the observed cluster formation resulted from multiple, independent introductions of the species to the European continent. This study draws a first picture of an early invasion stage of this wild bee and forms a foundation for further investigations, including studies of the species in their native Asian range and in the invaded range in North America.

Phylogenetic escape from pests reduces pesticides on some crop plants

Pesticides are a ubiquitous component of conventional crop production but come with considerable economic and ecological costs. We tested the hypothesis that variation in pesticide use among crop species is a function of crop economics and the phylogenetic relationship of a crop to native plants because unrelated crops accrue fewer herbivores and pathogens. Comparative analyses of a dataset of 93 Californian crops showed that more valuable crops and crops with close relatives in the native plant flora received greater pesticide use, explaining roughly half of the variance in pesticide use among crops against pathogens and herbivores. Phylogenetic escape from arthropod and pathogen pests results in lower pesticides, suggesting that the introduced status of some crops can be leveraged to reduce pesticides.

Drivers of global Scolytinae invasion patterns

Biological invasions are affected by characteristics of invading species, strength of pathway connectivity among world regions and habitat characteristics of invaded regions. These factors may interact in complex ways to drive geographical variation in numbers of invasions among world regions. Understanding the role of these drivers provides information that is crucial to the development of effective biosecurity policies. Here we assemble for the first time a global database of historical invasions of Scolytinae species and explore factors explaining geographical variation in numbers of species invading different regions. This insect group includes several pest species with massive economic and ecological impacts and these beetles are known to be accidentally moved with wood packaging in global trade. Candidate explanatory characteristics included in this analysis are cumulative trade among world regions, size of source species pools, forest area, and climatic similarity of the invaded region with source regions. Species capable of sib-mating comprised the highest proportion on nonnative Scolytines, and these species colonized a higher number of regions than outbreeders. The size of source species pools offered little power in explaining variation in numbers of invasions among world regions nor did climate or forest area. In contrast, cumulative trade had a strong and consistent positive relationship with numbers of Scolytinae species moving from one region to another, and this effect was highest for bark beetles, followed by ambrosia beetles, and was low for seed and twig feeders. We conclude that global variation in Scolytine invasions is primarily driven by variation in trade levels among world regions. Results stress the importance of global trade as the primary driver of historical Scolytinae invasions and we anticipate other hitchhiking species would exhibit similar patterns. One implication of these results is that invasions between certain world regions may be historically low because of past low levels of trade but future economic shifts could result in large numbers of new invasions as a result of increased trade among previously isolated portions of the world. With changing global flow of goods among world regions, it is crucial that biosecurity efforts keep pace to minimize future invasions and their impacts.

Invasion syndromes: a systematic approach for predicting biological invasions and facilitating effective management

Our ability to predict invasions has been hindered by the seemingly idiosyncratic context-dependency of individual invasions. However, we argue that robust and useful generalisations in invasion science can be made by considering “invasion syndromes” which we define as “a combination of pathways, alien species traits, and characteristics of the recipient ecosystem which collectively result in predictable dynamics and impacts, and that can be managed effectively using specific policy and management actions”. We describe this approach and outline examples that highlight its utility, including: cacti with clonal fragmentation in arid ecosystems; small aquatic organisms introduced through ballast water in harbours; large ranid frogs with frequent secondary transfers; piscivorous freshwater fishes in connected aquatic ecosystems; plant invasions in high-elevation areas; tall-statured grasses; and tree-feeding insects in forests with suitable hosts. We propose a systematic method for identifying and delimiting invasion syndromes. We argue that invasion syndromes can account for the context-dependency of biological invasions while incorporating insights from comparative studies. Adopting this approach will help to structure thinking, identify transferrable risk assessment and management lessons, and highlight similarities among events that were previously considered disparate invasion phenomena.

Accumulation of Urban Insect Pests in China: 50 Years’ Observations on Camphor Tree (Cinnamomum camphora)

Since China experienced a rapid and unprecedented process of urbanization and climate change from 1978 onwards, pest outbreaks were frequently reported on urban forests, which reflects a significant imbalance between natural regulation and human control. Based on information extracted from all journal articles and reports about insect pests on camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) in urban China, we characterized historical patterns and trends in pest outbreaks over large areas. Our results suggested that (1) most distribution areas of C. camphora in urban China had pest records (14 provinces) over the last 50 years, especially at the south-eastern coastal areas; (2) pests on camphor tree in urban China showed an accelerated growth since the 1990s; and (3) pests on camphor tree in urban China were characterized by native and leaf-feeding species. Urbanization seems to positively correlate with urban pest outbreaks. Changes of urban pest outbreaks could largely be described by synchronic changes of socio-economic indicators, of which CO2 emissions as metric tons per capita is the most significant predictor, followed by GDP and human population. Thus, managers and city planners should allocate resources to socio-economic-related pest outbreaks for a sustainable ecosystem.

Human-mediated dispersal in insects

Central to the problem of biological invasions, human activities introduce species beyond their native ranges and participate in their subsequent spread. Understanding human-mediated dispersal is therefore crucial for both predicting and preventing invasions. Here, we show that decomposing human-mediated dispersal into three temporal phases: departure, transport and arrival, allows to understand how the characteristics of human activities and the biological traits of species influence each phase of the dispersal process, and ultimately govern invasion pathways in insects. Integrating these precise mechanisms into future invasion models should increase their realism and generalization for any potential insect invader. Moreover, understanding these mechanisms can provide insight into why some invasive insects are more widely distributed than others, and to estimate risks posed by species that have not yet been introduced.

Multiple-Lure Surveillance Trapping for Ips Bark Beetles, Monochamus Longhorn Beetles, and Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Invasions by insects introduced via international trade continue to cause worldwide impacts. Surveillance programs using traps baited with host volatiles and pheromones can detect incursions of nonnative species. We report on two experiments executed to determine if attractants for several insect species can be combined without compromising trap catches and detection ability of target species. In the first experiment, we tested the effect of bark beetle pheromones (plus α-pinene) and trap contact with foliage on trap catches of the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in traps baited with a mixture of bisabolenes and methyl (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-decatrienoate. Trap capture of H. halys adults was greater in traps not in contact with foliage, and the bark beetle pheromones ipsenol and ipsdienol did not affect trap capture of H. halys. In the second experiment, we tested the effects of multi-lure interactions among the primary host attractants α-pinene and ethanol, and the pheromones monochamol, ipsenol, ipsdienol, lanierone, and the H. halys compounds, on trap captures of various forest and agricultural insect pests. Specifically, we targeted Monochamus spp. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Ips spp. (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) and H. halys. We found that a combination of all lures did not catch significantly lower numbers of Monochamus carolinensis Olivier, Monochamus scutellatus Say (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), and Ips pini Say (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) than lure combinations missing components although removal of both lanierone and ipsdienol somewhat increased catches of Ips grandicollis Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Our results support the use of traps baited with a full combination of these attractants in surveillance programs. This should reduce costs and increase detection rates of a wider range of conifer forest pests and H. halys.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Anastrepha striata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in three natural regions of southwestern Colombia using mitochondrial sequences

Anastrepha striata is widely distributed across the Americas and is a pest of economically important crops, especially crops of the Myrtaceae family. Insect population structures can be influenced by the presence of physical barriers or characteristics associated with habitat differences. This study evaluated the effect of the Western Andes on the population structure of A. striata. Individuals were collected from Psidium guajava fruits from three natural regions of southwestern Colombia (Pacific Coast, mountainous region and the inter-Andean valley of the Cauca River). Based on a 1318 bp concatenated of the genes Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6), 14 haplotypes with few changes among them (between 1 and 3) were found. There was only one dominant haplotype in all three regions. No genetic structure associated with the three eco-geographical regions of the study was found. Moreover, the Western Andes are not an effective barrier for the genetic isolation of the populations from the Pacific Coast compared with the inter-Andean valley populations. This genetic homogeneity could be partially due to anthropogenic intervention, which acts as a dispersal agent of infested fruits. Another hypothesis to explain the lack of structure would be the relatively recent arrival of A. striata to the region, as indicated by an analysis of the demographic history, which reveals a process of population expansion. This study represents the first attempt to understand the population genetics of A. striata in Colombia and could contribute to the integral management of this pest.