Abstract
Simple SummaryIn this study, we produced a genomic resource for the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana, to understand the biological basis of adaptation to a high number of hosts (polyphagy) and the invasive nature of this and other lepidopteran pests. The light brown apple moth is an invasive pest of horticultural plants, with over 500 recorded plant hosts. With origins in Australia, the pest has subsequently spread to New Zealand, Hawaii, California and Europe, causing significant economic losses for fruit producers. Comparative genomic analyses with other lepidopteran genomes indicate that a high proportion of the genome is made up of repetitive sequences, with the majority of the known elements being DNA transposable elements and retrotransposons. Twenty gene families show significant expansions, including some likely to have a role in its pest status. Finally, population genomics, investigated by a RAD-tag approach, indicated likely patterns of invasion and admixture, with Californian moths most probably being derived from Australia.The light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana is an invasive, polyphagous pest of horticultural systems around the world. With origins in Australia, the pest has subsequently spread to New Zealand, Hawaii, California and Europe, where it has been found on over 500 plants, including many horticultural crops. We have produced a genomic resource, to understand the biological basis of the polyphagous and invasive nature of this and other lepidopteran pests. The assembled genome sequence encompassed 598 Mb and has an N50 of 301.17 kb, with a BUSCO completion rate of 97.9%. Epiphyas postvittana has 34% of its assembled genome represented as repetitive sequences, with the majority of the known elements made up of longer DNA transposable elements (14.07 Mb) and retrotransposons (LINE 17.83 Mb). Of the 31,389 predicted genes, 28,714 (91.5%) were assigned to 11,438 orthogroups across the Lepidoptera, of which 945 were specific to E. postvittana. Twenty gene families showed significant expansions in E. postvittana, including some likely to have a role in its pest status, such as cytochrome p450s, glutathione-S-transferases and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases. Finally, using a RAD-tag approach, we investigated the population genomics of this pest, looking at its likely patterns of invasion.
Highlights
The light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana, is a polyphagous, invasive tortricid moth [1]
In Australia and New Zealand, E. postvittana is an important horticultural pest, mostly of pome fruit, citrus and grapes, and its pest status is a major concern in the USA [5]
Epiphyas postvittana is endemic to mainland Australia, where it is distributed throughout south eastern parts of the landmass, but it has been introduced into Tasmania and countries, such as New Zealand, the USA (Hawaii and California) and northern Europe [1]
Summary
The light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana, is a polyphagous, invasive tortricid moth [1]. Members of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) have become some of the most serious pests of primary production globally Their destructive nature is often associated with their ability to complete their life cycle on many different host plants, invade new territories and to be resistant to methods to control them [10,11]. More and more genomes of lepidopteran pests are becoming available [14–18], with many being highly polyphagous and invasive Comparisons of these genomes have identified gene families that are likely to underpin polyphagy, enable invasiveness and confer insecticide resistance [16,18,19]. We describe a genome assembly for E. postvittana and compare it with other moth genomes, use it to investigate gene families potentially involved in key pest traits and to inform a population genetic analysis of its invasion patterns
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