Abstract
Though the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) was introduced into China more than 60 years ago, the genetic diversity and structure of this exotic insect pest and virus vector have not been studied. To investigate the population genetic characteristics of this invasive species and to identify potential invasion routes, the genetic diversity and population structure of 17 collections of T. vaporariorum from nine provinces in China were analyzed using seven microsatellite loci. The results of the analyses indicated that the genetic diversity for the populations examined from the four provinces: Jilin, Ningxia, Guizhou and Qinghai, was lower than the genetic diversity of populations from the five provinces: Yunnan, Shandong, Shanxi, Liaoning, and Gansu. The T. vaporariorum populations analyzed in this study grouped as two distinct genetic clusters based on the analysis using STRUCTURE, whereas, 8 clusters were identified based on the BAPS analysis. Of the 136 genetic distance (Fst) values, 128 (94%) were associated with a significant exact test. There was a significant relationship between Fst and geographical distance. These results demonstrate that populations of T. vaporariorum in China exhibit significant genetic differentiation, indicating the likelihood that multiple introductions of T. vaporariorum into China have occurred. Also, the populations collected from the provinces of Jilin, Ningxia, Guizhou and Qinghai appear to represent secondary introductions originating from other Chinese provinces.
Highlights
The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), which has its origin in tropical or subtropical America (Mound & Halsey, 1978), is an economically important pest of horticultural and ornamental crops, worldwide [1]
T. vaporariorum populations formed two genetic clusters based on STRUCTURE analysis, and eight clusters based on BAPS analysis
Both genetic clustering analyses showed that Chinese populations of T. vaporariorum have significant genetic differentiation, which indicates multiple introductions of T. vaporariorum have occurred into China
Summary
The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), which has its origin in tropical or subtropical America (Mound & Halsey, 1978), is an economically important pest of horticultural and ornamental crops, worldwide [1]. It is distributed on all continents except Antarctica [2,3,4,5,6]. The greenhouse whitefly is a polyphagous species, colonizing more than 250 host plants [7,8] It can be both a vector of plant viruses [9,10,11,12], and a pest, causing considerable damage to the plant by feeding in the phloem [1]. Since the first serious outbreak of the greenhouse whitefly in fields and greenhouses in Beijing during 1976 [15], it has reached pest status, causing damage to food crop and ornamental plants in a number of provinces including Xinjiang and
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