Insights from Population Genomics to Enhance and Sustain Biological Control of Insect Pests.

Arun Sethuraman,David W Weisrock,Fredric J Janzen,John J Obrycki

doi:10.3390/insects11080462

Abstract

Biological control—the use of organisms (e.g., nematodes, arthropods, bacteria, fungi, viruses) for the suppression of insect pest species—is a well-established, ecologically sound and economically profitable tactic for crop protection. This approach has served as a sustainable solution for many insect pest problems for over a century in North America. However, all pest management tactics have associated risks. Specifically, the ecological non-target effects of biological control have been examined in numerous systems. In contrast, the need to understand the short- and long-term evolutionary consequences of human-mediated manipulation of biological control organisms for importation, augmentation and conservation biological control has only recently been acknowledged. Particularly, population genomics presents exceptional opportunities to study adaptive evolution and invasiveness of pests and biological control organisms. Population genomics also provides insights into (1) long-term biological consequences of releases, (2) the ecological success and sustainability of this pest management tactic and (3) non-target effects on native species, populations and ecosystems. Recent advances in genomic sequencing technology and model-based statistical methods to analyze population-scale genomic data provide a much needed impetus for biological control programs to benefit by incorporating a consideration of evolutionary consequences. Here, we review current technology and methods in population genomics and their applications to biological control and include basic guidelines for biological control researchers for implementing genomic technology and statistical modeling.

Highlights

IntroductionBiological control—the use of natural enemies or biological control organisms such as terrestrial arthropods, microorganisms and invertebrates (e.g., entomophagous nematodes) to suppress populations of agricultural pests—has been a successful pest management tactic for over a century [1,2,3]
Biological control—the use of natural enemies or biological control organisms such as terrestrial arthropods, microorganisms and invertebrates to suppress populations of agricultural pests—has been a successful pest management tactic for over a century [1,2,3].Motivated by the abundance of naturally occurring predator-prey and parasitoid-host species interactions, biological control provides benefits for pest suppression
We focus on four core issues involving population genomics and biological control—(1) population size change, (2) natural selection and adaptive evolution in novel environments, (3) gene flow and (4) inbreeding

Summary

Introduction

Biological control—the use of natural enemies or biological control organisms such as terrestrial arthropods, microorganisms and invertebrates (e.g., entomophagous nematodes) to suppress populations of agricultural pests—has been a successful pest management tactic for over a century [1,2,3]. Motivated by the abundance of naturally occurring predator-prey and parasitoid-host species interactions, biological control provides benefits for pest suppression. Such benefits include the potential for long-term pest suppression and increased environmental and human safety, in comparison to the use of chemical insecticides [4]. Human-mediated release of biological control organisms may have short- and long-term consequences for the evolution of (a) prey/hosts ( called ‘target’ effects), as well as (b) released. Both target and non-target effects of biological control have been studied broadly in the context of efficacy and efficiency of control strategies [3]

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Discussion

Conclusion