Marked Genetic Differentiation between Western Iberian and Italic Populations of the Olive Fly: Southern France as an Intermediate Area

Evaluation of the effect of agroclimatic variables on the probability and timing of olive fruit fly attack

Agroclimatic variables may affect insect and plant phenology, with unpredictable effects on pest populations and crop losses. Bactrocera oleae Rossi (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a specific pest of Olea europaea plants that can cause annual economic losses of more than one billion US dollars in the Mediterranean region. In this study, we aimed at understanding the effect of olive tree phenology and other agroclimatic variables on B. oleae infestation dynamics in the Umbria region (Central Italy). Analyses were carried out on B. oleae infestation data collected in 79 olive groves during a 7-year period (from 2015 to 2021). In July-August, B. oleae infestation (1% attack) was negatively affected by altitude and spring mean daily temperatures and positively by higher winter mean daily temperatures and olive tree cumulative degree days. In September-October, infestation was negatively affected by a positive soil water balance and high spring temperatures. High altitude and cumulative plant degree days were related to delayed attacks. In contrast, high winter and spring temperatures accelerated them. Our results could be helpful for the development of predictive models and for increasing the reliability of decision support systems currently used in olive orchards.

Vast Gene Flow among the Spanish Populations of the Pest Bactrocera oleae (Diptera, Tephritidae), Phylogeography of a Metapopulation to Be Controlled and Its Mediterranean Genetic Context

Simple Summary

The output of olive industry at the Mediterranean Basin, headed by Spain, is huge worldwide. The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae is the major pest of olive orchards. The damages it causes become in considerable economic losses as well as a decrease in oil quantity and quality. A key question for the success of pest control strategies is the further knowledge about the species, and genetic data becomes essential for this purpose. The present work analyses more than 250 fruit flies from six different Mediterranean countries, showing relevant data about the genetic structure and gene flow of this damaging pest. These findings are helpful to improve the integrated pest management strategies according to the current European Guidelines.

Abstract

Spain is the leading producer of olives and olive oil. Ninety-five percent of world production originate from Spain and other regions of the Mediterranean Basin. However, these olive-growing countries face a major problem, the harmful fly Bactrocera oleae, the main pest of olive crops. To improve its control, one of the challenges is the further knowledge of the species and populations dynamics in this area. A phylogeographic work is necessary to further characterise the levels and distribution patterns of genetic diversity of the Spanish populations and their genetic relationships with other Mediterranean populations. A 1151 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene has been analysed in over 250 specimens of the six main Mediterranean countries via sequencing. Genetic diversity parameters were high; 51 new haplotypes have been identified showing a geographical pattern across the Mediterranean area. The data revealed that olive fruit fly populations have been long time established in the Mediterranean Basin with two genetic groups. Gene flow seems to be the main process in shaping this genetic structure as well as fly’s colonisation routes that have paralleled those of the olive tree.

Olive fruit fly and its obligate symbiont Candidatus Erwinia dacicola: Two new symbiont haplotypes in the Mediterranean basin

The olive fruit fly, specialized to become monophagous during several life stages, remains the most important olive tree pest with high direct production losses, but also affecting the quality, composition, and inherent properties of the olives. Thought to have originated in Africa is nowadays present wherever olive groves are grown. The olive fruit fly evolved to harbor a vertically transmitted and obligate bacterial symbiont -Candidatus Erwinia dacicola- leading thus to a tight evolutionary history between olive tree, fruit fly and obligate, vertical transmitted symbiotic bacterium. Considering this linkage, the genetic diversity (at a 16S fragment) of this obligate symbiont was added in the understanding of the distribution pattern of the holobiont at nine locations throughout four countries in the Mediterranean Basin. This was complemented with mitochondrial (four mtDNA fragments) and nuclear (ten microsatellites) data of the host. We focused on the previously established Iberian cluster for the B. oleae structure and hypothesised that the Tunisian samples would fall into a differentiated cluster. From the host point of view, we were unable to confirm this hypothesis. Looking at the symbiont, however, two new 16S haplotypes were found exclusively in the populations from Tunisia. This finding is discussed in the frame of host-symbiont specificity and transmission mode. To understand olive fruit fly population diversity and dispersion, the dynamics of the symbiont also needs to be taken into consideration, as it enables the fly to, so efficiently and uniquely, exploit the olive fruit resource.

On the origins and domestication of the olive: a review and perspectives

Background

Unravelling domestication processes is crucial for understanding how species respond to anthropogenic pressures, forecasting crop responses to future global changes and improving breeding programmes. Domestication processes for clonally propagated perennials differ markedly from those for seed-propagated annual crops, mostly due to long generation times, clonal propagation and recurrent admixture with local forms, leading to a limited number of generations of selection from wild ancestors. However, additional case studies are required to document this process more fully.

Scope

The olive is an iconic species in Mediterranean cultural history. Its multiple uses and omnipresence in traditional agrosystems have made this species an economic pillar and cornerstone of Mediterranean agriculture. However, major questions about the domestication history of the olive remain unanswered. New paleobotanical, archeological, historical and molecular data have recently accumulated for olive, making it timely to carry out a critical re-evaluation of the biogeography of wild olives and the history of their cultivation. We review here the chronological history of wild olives and discuss the questions that remain unanswered, or even unasked, about their domestication history in the Mediterranean Basin. We argue that more detailed ecological genomics studies of wild and cultivated olives are crucial to improve our understanding of olive domestication. Multidisciplinary research integrating genomics, metagenomics and community ecology will make it possible to decipher the evolutionary ecology of one of the most iconic domesticated fruit trees worldwide.

Conclusion

The olive is a relevant model for improving our knowledge of domestication processes in clonally propagated perennial crops, particularly those of the Mediterranean Basin. Future studies on the ecological and genomic shifts linked to domestication in olive and its associated community will provide insight into the phenotypic and molecular bases of crop adaptation to human uses.

Population structure and patterns of geographic differentiation of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Eastern Mediterranean Basin

The olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) is the most destructive pest of olives in most commercial olive-growing regions worldwide. Significant economic damage to olive production is caused by the larvae of this fly, which feed on the pulp of Olea fruits. Studying the genetic structure of insect pest populations is essential for the success of pest management strategies. Our primary goal in the present study was to examine the population structures of olive flies collected over a wide geographic area from Turkey, a representative of eastern Mediterranean region, using two mitochondrial DNA sequences as genetic markers. The data revealed a high level of genetic variability in olive fly populations and a moderate level of genetic differentiation between Mediterranean and Aegean populations in Turkey. We also merged the sequences obtained in the present study with previously published sequences from across the world into the data matrix. Strong population substructure and a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances were detected in northern Mediterranean basin populations of B. oleae, indicating the possibility of a westward expansion of the species in the continent. In addition, our results revealed a very close genetic relationship between the Aegean and Iranian populations, which suggests that B. oleae was introduced to Iran from western parts of Turkey. However, additional markers and analytical approaches are required to determine the exact colonization route of olive fly.