Post‐glacial colonization of the Fennoscandian coast by a plant parasitic insect with an unusual life history

Species that exhibit very peculiar ecological traits combined with limited dispersal ability pose a challenge to our understanding of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms. This is especially true when they have managed to spread over long distances, overcome physical barriers, and colonize large a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology and evolution 2023-04, Vol.13 (4), p.e9996-n/a
Main Authors: Solbreck, Christer, Cassel‐Lundhagen, Anna, Laugen, Ane T., Kaňuch, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aeroplankton
Barriers
Bayesian analysis
Biogeography
Biology
Cecidomyiidae
coalescence time
Colonization
Diapause
Dispersal
Dispersion
Dormancy
Ecology
Ekologi
Entomology
Evolutionary Ecology
Genetic structure
Heterozygosity
Host plants
Inbreeding
individual heterozygosity
Insects
Landscape
Larvae
Life history
Microsatellites
Parasites
Population dynamics
Population Genetics
Sea level
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Summary:Species that exhibit very peculiar ecological traits combined with limited dispersal ability pose a challenge to our understanding of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms. This is especially true when they have managed to spread over long distances, overcome physical barriers, and colonize large areas. Climate and landscape changes, trophic web relations, as well as life history all interact to shape migration routes and present‐day species distributions and their population genetic structures. Here we analyzed the post‐glacial colonization of northern Europe by the gall midge Contarinia vincetoxici, which is a monophagous parasite on the perennial herb White swallowwort (Vincetoxicum hirundinaria). This insect not only has a narrow feeding niche but also limited dispersal ability and an exceptionally long dormancy. Gall midge larvae (n = 329) were collected from 16 sites along its distribution range in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Using microsatellite loci and knowledge of the species and the regions' history, we investigated the role of landscape change, host plant distribution, insect population dynamics, and life history in shaping the population genetic structure of the insect. We devoted particular interest to the role of the insect's presumed poor dispersal capacity in combination with its exceptionally extended diapause. We found significant levels of local inbreeding (95% highest posterior density interval = 0.42–0.47), low‐level within‐population heterozygosity (mean HE = 0.45, range 0.20–0.61) with private alleles in all populations except two. We also found significant (p 
ISSN:2045-7758
2045-7758
DOI:10.1002/ece3.9996