Post‐introduction evolution in the biological control agent Longitarsus jacobaeae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Evolutionary Applications

Marianna Sz᜜s¹  Urs Schaffner³  William J. Price² 

[1]  Department of Plant, Soil, and Entomological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA; Statistical Programs, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA; CABI Europe – Switzerland, Delémont, Switzerland

关键词: aestivation;    biological control agent;    body size;    climatic adaptation;    contemporary evolution;    larval development;   

DOI  :  10.1111/j.1752-4571.2012.00264.x

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Rapid evolution has rarely been assessed in biological control systems despite the similarity with biological invasions, which are widely used as model systems. We assessed post-introduction climatic adaptation in a population of Longitarsus jacobaeae, a biological control agent of Jacobaea vulgaris, which originated from a low-elevation site in Italy and was introduced in the USA to a high-elevation site (Mt. Hood, Oregon) in the early 1980s. Life-history characteristics of beetle populations from Mt. Hood, from two low-elevation sites in Oregon (Italian origin) and from a high-elevation site from Switzerland were compared in common gardens. The performance of low- and high-elevation populations at a low- and a high-elevation site was evaluated using reciprocal transplants. The results revealed significant changes in aestival diapause and shifts in phenology in the Mt. Hood population, compared with the low-elevation populations. We found increased performance of the Mt. Hood population in its home environment compared with the low-elevation populations that it originated from. The results indicate that the beetles at Mt. Hood have adapted to the cooler conditions by life-history changes that conform to predictions based on theory and the phenology of the cold-adapted Swiss beetles.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
© 2012 The Authors. Evolutionary Applications published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.