Genetic diversity of aboriginal and invasive populations of four‐eyed fir bark beetle Polygraphus proximusBlandford (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Abstract

AbstractThe four‐eyed fir bark beetle Polygraphus proximus Blandf., native in Far Eastern Eurasia and nearby islands, is an invasive pest of fir trees in Siberian and European parts of Russia. Its invasion has been overlooked and was only finally appreciated in 2008. Subsequently, the scale and area of damage to the forests has increased catastrophically. Thus, extensive monitoring and population control are required to localize and stop any further spread of the invasion. We used mitochondrial DNA markers to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of invasive and aboriginal populations of P. proximus, aiming to establish the main sources and corridors of its spread and to infer the history of colonization. Eighteen haplotypes clustered in five groups were identified. The aboriginal populations had the highest degree of haplotype variability, including almost all haplotypes found in the areas of invasion. The Siberian introduced populations had a sufficient reduction of genetic variation, and a strong geographical partitioning. The European populations mostly had the same haplotypes as the invasive Siberian populations. The results of the present study support the scenario of P. proximus spreading from the Far East of Russia westward via timber transport along the major Russian railway network.