Genetics of flight in spongy moths (Lymantria dispar ssp.): functionally integrated profiling of a complex invasive trait.

Background: Flight can drastically enhance dispersal capacity and is a key trait defining the potential of exotic insect species to spread and invade new habitats. The phytophagous European spongy moths (ESM, Lymantria dispar dispar) and Asian spongy moths (ASM; a multi-species group represented here by L. d.

Phenological Features of the Spongy Moth, (L.) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), in the Northernmost Portions of Its Eurasian Range.

The spongy moth, , is a classic example of an invasive pest accidentally introduced from Europe to North America, where it has become one of the most serious forest defoliators, as in its native range. The present study was aimed at (i) identifying the current northern limit of 's Eurasian range and exploring its northward expansion in Canada using pheromone trap data, and (ii) comparing northern Eurasian populations with those from central and southern regions with respect to male flight phenology, the sums of effective temperatures (SETs) above the 7 °C threshold necessary for development to the adult stage, and heat availability. We show that the range of in Eurasia now reaches the 61st parallel, and comparisons with historical data identify the average speed of spread as 50 km/year.

Range-wide population genomics of the spongy moth, (Erebidae): Implications for biosurveillance, subspecies classification and phylogeography of a destructive moth.

The spongy moth, , is an irruptive forest pest native to Eurasia where its range extends from coast to coast and overspills into northern Africa. Accidentally introduced from Europe in Massachusetts in 1868-1869, it is now established in North America where it is considered a highly destructive invasive pest. A fine-scale characterization of its population genetic structure would facilitate identification of source populations for specimens intercepted during ship inspections in North America and would enable mapping of introduction pathways to help prevent future incursions into novel environments.

A TaqMan Assay for the Detection and Monitoring of Potentially Invasive Lasiocampids, With Particular Attention to the Siberian Silk Moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae).

The Siberian silk moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetverikov, is a very serious pest of conifers in Russia and is an emerging threat in North America where an accidental introduction could have devastating impacts on native forest resources. Other Dendrolimus Germar species and related Eurasian lasiocampids in the genus Malacosoma (Hubner) could also present a risk to North America's forests. Foreign vessels entering Canadian and U.

The Spruce Budworm Genome: Reconstructing the Evolutionary History of Antifreeze Proteins.

Insects have developed various adaptations to survive harsh winter conditions. Among freeze-intolerant species, some produce "antifreeze proteins" (AFPs) that bind to nascent ice crystals and inhibit further ice growth. Such is the case of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a destructive North American conifer pest that can withstand temperatures below -30°C.

Development of a qPCR-based method for counting overwintering spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) larvae collected during fall surveys and for assessing their natural enemy load: a proof-of-concept study.

Background: In eastern Canada, surveys of overwintering 2 instar spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) larvae ('L2s') are carried out each fall to guide insecticide application decisions in the following spring. These surveys involve the collection of fir and spruce branches in selected stands, followed by the mechanical/chemical removal of larvae. The latter then are counted manually on filter papers, using a stereomicroscope.

Landscape-scale population connectivity in two parasitoid species associated with the spruce budworm: Testing the birdfeeder effect using genetic data.

Periodic and spatially synchronous outbreaks of insect pests have dramatic consequences for boreal and sub-boreal forests. Within these multitrophic systems, parasitoids can be stabilizing agents by dispersing toward patches containing higher host density (the so-called birdfeeder effect). However, we know little about the dispersal abilities of parasitoids in continuous forested landscapes, limiting our understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of host-parasitoid systems, and constraining our ability to predict forest resilience in the context of global changes.

Novel antimicrobial anionic cecropins from the spruce budworm feature a poly-L-aspartic acid C-terminus.

Cecropins form a family of amphipathic α-helical cationic peptides with broad-spectrum antibacterial properties and potent anticancer activity. The emergence of bacteria and cancer cells showing resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) has fostered a search for new, more selective and more effective alternatives to CAMPs. With this goal in mind, we looked for cecropin homologs in the genome and transcriptome of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana.

Sequencing, assembly and annotation of the whole-insect genome of Lymantria dispar dispar, the European gypsy moth.

The European gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD), is an invasive insect and a threat to urban trees, forests and forest-related industries in North America. For use as a comparator with a previously published genome based on the LD652 pupal ovary-derived cell line, as well as whole-insect genome sequences obtained from the Asian gypsy moth subspecies L. dispar asiatica and L.

Rational design of Lepidoptera-specific insecticidal inhibitors targeting farnesyl diphosphate synthase, a key enzyme of the juvenile hormone biosynthetic pathway.

Reducing the use of broad-spectrum insecticides is one of the many challenges currently faced by insect pest management practitioners. For this reason, efforts are being made to develop environmentally benign pest-control products through bio-rational approaches that aim at disrupting physiological processes unique to specific groups of pests. Perturbation of hormonal regulation of insect development and reproduction is one such strategy.

The Unconventional Viruses of Ichneumonid Parasitoid Wasps.

To ensure their own immature development as parasites, ichneumonid parasitoid wasps use endogenous viruses that they acquired through ancient events of viral genome integration. Thousands of species from the campoplegine and banchine wasp subfamilies rely, for their survival, on their association with these viruses, hijacked from a yet undetermined viral taxon. Here, we give an update of recent findings on the nature of the viral genes retained from the progenitor viruses and how they are organized in the wasp genome.

In Situ Processing and Efficient Environmental Detection (iSPEED) of tree pests and pathogens using point-of-use real-time PCR.

Global trade and climate change are responsible for a surge in foreign invasive species and emerging pests and pathogens across the world. Early detection and surveillance activities are essential to monitor the environment and prevent or mitigate future ecosystem impacts. Molecular diagnostics by DNA testing has become an integral part of this process.

Continent-wide population genomic structure and phylogeography of North America's most destructive conifer defoliator, the spruce budworm ().

The spruce budworm, , is presumed to be panmictic across vast regions of North America. We examined the extent of panmixia by genotyping 3,650 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci in 1975 individuals from 128 collections across the continent. We found three spatially structured subpopulations: Western (Alaska, Yukon), Central (southeastern Yukon to the Manitoba-Ontario border), and Eastern (Manitoba-Ontario border to the Atlantic).

Expansion of LINEs and species-specific DNA repeats drives genome expansion in Asian Gypsy Moths.

Two subspecies of Asian gypsy moth (AGM), Lymantria dispar asiatica and L. dispar japonica, pose a serious alien invasive threat to North American forests. Despite decades of research on the ecology and biology of this pest, limited AGM-specific genomic resources are currently available.

Temporal variation in spatial genetic structure during population outbreaks: Distinguishing among different potential drivers of spatial synchrony.

Spatial synchrony is a common characteristic of spatio-temporal population dynamics across many taxa. While it is known that both dispersal and spatially autocorrelated environmental variation (i.e.

The dual life of ichnoviruses.

Ichnoviruses (IVs) are mutualistic, double-stranded DNA viruses playing a key role in the successful parasitism of thousands of endoparasitoid wasp species. IV particles are produced exclusively in the female wasp reproductive tract. They are co-injected along with the parasitoid egg into caterpillar hosts upon parasitization.

Insights into the Structure of the Spruce Budworm () Genome, as Revealed by Molecular Cytogenetic Analyses and a High-Density Linkage Map.

Genome structure characterization can contribute to a better understanding of processes such as adaptation, speciation, and karyotype evolution, and can provide useful information for refining genome assemblies. We studied the genome of an important North American boreal forest pest, the spruce budworm, , through a combination of molecular cytogenetic analyses and construction of a high-density linkage map based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers obtained through a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach. Cytogenetic analyses using fluorescence hybridization methods confirmed the haploid chromosome number of n = 30 in both sexes of and showed, for the first time, that this species has a WZ/ZZ sex chromosome system.

Unexpected invasion of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements in viral genomes.

Background: Transposable elements (TEs) are common and often present with high copy numbers in cellular genomes. Unlike in cellular organisms, TEs were previously thought to be either rare or absent in viruses. Almost all reported TEs display only one or two copies per viral genome.

Impact of rearing temperature on encapsulation and the accumulation of transcripts putatively involved in capsule formation in a parasitized lepidopteran host.

Encapsulation and melanisation are innate immune reactions of insects against foreign intruders such as parasitoids. In an earlier study, we observed that immature life stages of the endoparasitoid Tranosema rostrale (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) parasitizing Choristoneura fumiferana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) larvae experienced higher mortality due to encapsulation and melanisation when reared at high (30 °C) than at lower (10 °C, 20 °C) temperatures. Downregulation of T.

Convergent herbivory on conifers by Choristoneura moths after boreal forest formation.

Mitogenomes are useful markers for phylogenetic studies across a range of taxonomic levels. Here, we focus on mitogenome variation across the tortricid moth genus Choristoneura and particularly the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) species complex, a notorious pest group of North American conifer forests. Phylogenetic relationships of Tortricidae, representing two subfamilies, four tribes and nine genera, were analyzed using 21 mitogenomes.

Structural characterization of a lepidopteran type-II farnesyl diphosphate synthase from the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana: Implications for inhibitor design.

Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) is an enzyme from the class of short chain (E)-prenyltransferases that catalyzes the condensation of two molecules of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP, C) with dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP, C) to generate the C product FPP. In insects, FPPS plays a key role in the biosynthesis of the morphogenetic and gonadotropic "juvenile hormone" (JH). Lepidopteran genomes encode two very distinct FPPS paralogs, one of which ("type-II") is expressed almost exclusively in the JH-producing glands, the corpora allata.

Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes of geographic variants of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, reveals a previously undescribed genotypic entity.

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., is one of the most destructive forest pests in the world. While the subspecies established in North America is the European gypsy moth (L.

Distinct sources of gene flow produce contrasting population genetic dynamics at different range boundaries of a Choristoneura budworm.

Populations are often exposed to multiple sources of gene flow, but accounts are lacking of the population genetic dynamics that result from these interactions or their effects on local evolution. Using a genomic clines framework applied to 1,195 single nucleotide polymorphisms, we documented genomewide, locus-specific patterns of introgression between Choristoneura occidentalis biennis spruce budworms and two ecologically divergent relatives, C. o.

The complete mitogenome of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), (Insecta: Coleoptera: Buprestidae).

The complete mitogenome of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB, ) was obtained by gleaning mitochondrial sequences from whole-genome Illumina sequencing data. The circular genome has 15,942 base pairs and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and an A-T-rich region. All PCGs begin with ATN codons.