RESUMO
Helicoverpa gelotopoeon, the South American bollworm, is a polyphagous pest of the Heliothinae complex that causes damage to soybean, cotton, and chickpea crops. Some species within this complex have developed resistance to genetically modified crops and insecticides, which has led to increased interest in their genetic diversity and population structure. The objective of this study was to characterize biological and reproductive parameters of two populations of H. gelotopoeon collected in two different provinces of Argentina. Intra- and inter-population crosses revealed that H. gelotopoeon populations from both regions of Argentina did not present evidence of pre-zygotic and post-zygotic incompatibility, suggesting that Tucumán and Córdoba populations of H. gelotopoeon belong to a single wide-ranging species. Our data support the occurrence of substantial gene flow between H. gelotopoeon populations, probably due to the widely documented, long-range migratory capacity of Heliothinae species.
Assuntos
Hibridização Genética , Mariposas/fisiologia , Comportamento Sexual Animal , Animais , Argentina , Feminino , Fluxo Gênico , MasculinoRESUMO
The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), has a widespread distribution throughout the Western Hemisphere and is a pest of many crop plants including sugarcane, corn, sorghum and rice. The use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn has been the primary tool for managing this species in corn fields. Sugarcane borer control has been recently threatened by observations of susceptibility and/or resistance to certain varieties of Bt corn and the protein used in many newer varieties. This has led to increased interest in understanding sugarcane borer genetic diversity and gene flow within and among its populations and the consequent exchange of alleles between geographically distant populations. The objective of this study was to examine reproductive compatibility between host-associated geographic populations of D. saccharalis in Argentina and to determine whether this pest represents a complex of host-associated cryptic species rather than a wide ranging generalist species. Intra and inter-population crosses revealed that D. saccharalis populations from the northwestern and Pampas regions presented evidence of prezygotic and postzygotic incompatibility. Such a result is likely to be the product of an interruption of gene flow produced by either geographic or host plant associated isolation, suggesting that Tucumán (northwestern) and Buenos Aires (Pampas) populations of D. saccharalis are a distinct genotype and possibly an incipient species.
Assuntos
Mariposas/fisiologia , Isolamento Social , Animais , Argentina , Bacillus thuringiensis , Feminino , Herbivoria , Especificidade de Hospedeiro , Masculino , Controle de Pragas/métodos , ReproduçãoRESUMO
Phylogenetic approaches based on mitochondrial DNA variation (fragments of Cyt B and 16S ribosomal RNA) have revealed Triatoma sherlocki as the most recent species addition to the Triatoma brasiliensis species complex; a monophyletic group which includes T. brasiliensis, Triatoma melanica, and Triatoma juazeirensis. T. sherlocki is the most differentiated among all species of this complex: it is unable to fly, possesses longer legs than the other members, and has reddish tonality in some parts of its exochorion. We question whether these species are reproductively compatible because of this pronounced morphological differentiation, and therefore, we present a series of cross breeding experiments that test compatibility between T. sherlocki and other members of the T. brasiliensis complex. We extended our analyses to include crosses between T. sherlocki and Triatoma lenti, because the latter has been suggested as a possible member of this complex. T. sherlocki male×T. lenti female pairs failed to produce hybrids. All other crosses of T. sherlocki and members of T. brasiliensis species complex, as well as backcrosses, produced viable offspring through the third generation. This study stresses the importance of searching for the features that may isolate members of the T. brasiliensis species complex.