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Genotypic changes and wing shape variation associated with the invasion of southern Europe by WCR

Spatial and temporal genetic analyses of WCR populations in southern Europe (Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Italy) were conducted during the introduction and establishment/spread phases of WCRs invasion of this region. The results indicated that during the introduction phase genetic diversity and genetic structure were lower compared to the establishment/spread phase. Unusually high genetic differentiation was found between the Italy and southern European comparisons, including high differentiation between Italian populations separated by a short distance during the establishment/spread phase. Serbia was the geographic source of WCR to Croatia and Hungary in the introduction phase, while the USA was the source of WCR to Italy in 2001. Repeated introductions and admixture events in southern Europe have resulted in genetically diverse WCR populations that have attained 83% of all known alleles worldwide. In addition to the genetic analyses conducted variation in hind wing shape was investigated using geometric morphometrics (GM). GM was used to examine the influence of soil type on WCR populations in Croatia that differed according to edaphic factors and climate and to investigate the potential presence of directional asymmetry on hind wings. Results indicated that WCR hind wing shape changed according to major soil type classifications in Croatia. The wing shape change found varied because of basal radial vein differences. These results indicate that WCR hind wing shape has the potential for use as a biomarker monitoring tool to differentiate populations. In an evolutionary context, the presence of directional asymmetry in WCR hind wings adds to the ever growing data avaialable on the evolution of beetle wings. Ongoing research by our group is focused on expanding our WCR wing shape database to include the majority of European populations and the inclusion of US source populations to confirm the utility of wing shape as a monitoring tool.

Diabrotica; population genetics; wing shape

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