Assortative Mating in Sympatric Host Races of the European Corn Borer

Malausa, Thibaut; Béthenod, M; Bontemps, Arnaud; Bourguet, Denis; Cornuet, Jean‐Marie; Ponsard, Sergine

doi:10.1126/science.1107577

Cited by 151 publications

(160 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Accordingly, ECB larvae were found to perform better than O. scapulalis larvae on maize, and conversely to perform less well on mugwort, indicative of physiological specialization (Calcagno et al 2007). In addition, the two Ostrinia sibling species differ with respect to development time (Thomas et al (2003), but see Malausa et al 2005). Natural enemies could also have promoted the divergence, since both the identity of parasitoids and their prevalence differ between maize and mugwort (Thomas et al 2003;Pélissié et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergence in behaviour between the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis, and its sibling speciesOstrinia scapulalis: adaptation to human harvesting?

et al. 2010

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Divergent adaptation to host plant species may be the major mechanism driving speciation and adaptive radiations in phytophagous insects. Host plants can differ intrinsically in a number of attributes, but the role of natural enemies in host plant specialization is often underappreciated. Here, we report behavioural divergence between the European corn borer (ECB, Ostrinia nubilalis) and its sibling species Ostrinia scapulalis, in relation to a major enemy: humans. Harvesting maize imposes selective mortality on Ostrinia larvae: those located above the cut-off line of the stalk face almost certain death. We show that ECB larvae diapause closer to the ground than those of O. scapulalis, which is sympatric but feeds mainly on weeds. The difference in diapause height results from genetically determined differences in geotactic behaviour. ECB larvae descend towards the ground specifically at harvest time, increasing their chances of surviving harvesting by about 50 per cent over O. scapulalis larvae. Natural enemies appear as a major driver of hostplant specialization in this example, stressing the need to consider 'tri-trophic' ecological niches to understand insect diversification. Our results also strongly suggest that geotaxis evolved as a singular instance of behavioural resistance in a major agricultural pest.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergence in behaviour between the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis, and its sibling speciesOstrinia scapulalis: adaptation to human harvesting?

et al. 2010

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“…In France, ECB populations feeding on maize are genetically differentiated from sympatric populations feeding on mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) and hop (Humulus lupulus L.). These two host races are reproductively isolated, as hybridization is very rare in the field (Malausa et al, 2005). This cannot result solely from local mating on host plants, as ECBs usually mate in dense foxtail grass and other patches of herbaceous non host plants.…”

Section: Link ?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This cannot result solely from local mating on host plants, as ECBs usually mate in dense foxtail grass and other patches of herbaceous non host plants. At least two other factors decrease the frequency of hybridization: the allochronic emergence of the two host races (Thomas et al, 2003) and the assortative mating of adult moths (prezygotic isolation; Bethenod et al, 2005;Malausa et al, 2005). Moreover, females of the two host races preferentially lay eggs on their natural host plant .…”

Section: Link ?mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the scent of speciation: the chemosensory system and its role in premating isolation

2008

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Chemosensory speciation is characterized by the evolution of barriers to genetic exchange that involve chemosensory systems and chemical signals. Here, we review some representative studies documenting chemosensory speciation in an attempt to evaluate the importance and the different aspects of the process in nature and to gain insights into the genetic basis and the evolutionary mechanisms of chemosensory trait divergence. Although most studies of chemosensory speciation concern sexual isolation mediated by pheromone divergence, especially in Drosophila and moth species, other chemically based behaviours (habitat choice, pollinator attraction) can also play an important role in speciation and are likely to do so in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species. Adaptive divergence of chemosensory traits in response to factors such as pollinators, hosts and conspecifics commonly drives the evolution of chemical prezygotic barriers. Although the genetic basis of chemosensory speciation remains largely unknown, genomic approaches to chemosensory gene families and to enzymes involved in biosynthetic pathways of signal compounds now provide new opportunities to dissect the genetic basis of these complex traits and of their divergence among taxa.

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“…Conversely, mating success is significantly reduced between individuals collected on maize versus dicotyledons (Frolov et al, 2007). In France, although all males have small mid-tibiae, trilobed uncus Ostrinia populations actually consist of two taxa that are significantly isolated reproductively Malausa et al, 2005;Pélozuelo et al, 2007) and genetically differentiated (Bourguet et al, 2000;Martel et al, 2003;Bontemps et al, 2004;Malausa et al, 2005Malausa et al, , 2007aMalausa et al, , 2007bLeniaud et al, 2006): one feeding mainly on maize and one feeding mainly on two dicotyledonsmugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) and hop (Humulus lupulus L.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Russia with lobe: genetic differentiation in trilobed uncus Ostrinia spp. follows food plant, not hairy legs

et al. 2011

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Trilobed uncus taxa of the genus Ostrinia (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) illustrate the complex relationship, at early stages of speciation, between reproductive isolation and differentiation in morphology, resource use and genetic variation. On the basis of behaviour and ecology, we recently hypothesized that individuals with small mid-tibiae belong to two distinct species depending on host plant-O. nubilalis and O. scapulalis sensu Frolov et al. (2007) feeding on maize and on a number of dicotyledons, respectively. Individuals with small, medium or massive mid-tibiae would all belong to O. scapulalis as long as they feed on these dicotyledons. This contrasts with previous taxonomy, which distinguished three species by male mid-tibia morphology, regardless of host plant. Here, we test our hypothesis by examining the genetic structure of Ostrinia populations from regions with mid-tibia polymorphismWestern Russia and Kazakhstan-and comparing it with that of French populations where only small mid-tibiae occur. Results support two predictions: (1) maize-and dicotyledoncollected populations are genetically differentiated from each other like in France, and (2) dicotyledon-collected populations show no genetic evidence of consisting of more than one species. Between-species differentiation was unrelated to geographic distance, despite significant isolation by distance within species. The distinction between two and only two species differing by host plant thus holds at continental scale. Interestingly, one microsatellite locus contributed B10 times more than the others to differentiation between both taxa. This deserves further investigation, as it might reveal a linkage between this outlier and loci involved in host-plant adaptation and/or reproductive isolation.

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Assortative Mating in Sympatric Host Races of the European Corn Borer

Cited by 151 publications

References 21 publications

Divergence in behaviour between the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis, and its sibling speciesOstrinia scapulalis: adaptation to human harvesting?

Divergence in behaviour between the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis, and its sibling speciesOstrinia scapulalis: adaptation to human harvesting?

On the scent of speciation: the chemosensory system and its role in premating isolation

From Russia with lobe: genetic differentiation in trilobed uncus Ostrinia spp. follows food plant, not hairy legs

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