AI Article Synopsis
- - The flea beetle Phyllotreta nemorum has different genetic forms, some that can resist the defenses of its host plant Barbarea vulgaris, allowing them to survive on this and other plants, while non-resistant beetles cannot.
- - Researchers examined how genetic variation among these beetles is affected by both their resistance to the host plant and their geographical locations, finding that both factors significantly impacted population differentiation.
- - The study suggests that limited genetic exchange between resistant and non-resistant beetles may indicate the beginnings of host race formation, where different genetic groups arise due to their specialized interactions with specific host plants.
Article Abstract
The flea beetle Phyllotreta nemorum L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is genetically polymorphic for resistance against the defences of one of its host plants, Barbarea vulgaris R.Br. (Brassicales: Brassicaceae). Whereas resistant flea beetles are able to use B. vulgaris as well as other cruciferous plants as food, non-resistant beetles cannot survive on B. vulgaris. This limitation to host plant use of non-resistant beetles could potentially lead to asymmetric gene flow and some degree of genetic isolation between the different resistance-genotypes. Therefore, we studied the extent of genetic differentiation at neutral allozyme loci between samples of flea beetles that were collected at different locations and first tested for resistance phenotype. Since earlier work has shown a weak, but significant, effect of geographical distance between the samples on their genetic differentiation, in the present study variation at the neutral allozyme loci in P. nemorum was partitioned between geographical distance and resistance-phenotype. Both sources independently contributed statistically significantly to population differentiation. Thus, there appears to be a limitation to genetic exchange between the resistant and non-resistant flea beetles when corrections are made for their geographic differentiation. This is consistent with the presence of some degree of host race formation in this flea beetle.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3011967 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1673/031.009.6901 | DOI Listing |
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