Host plant use of Phyllotreta nemorum: do coadapted gene complexes play a role?

P. de Jong, J.K. Nielsen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The view of (insect) populations as assemblages of local subpopulations connected by gene flow is gaining ground. In such structured populations, local adaptation may occur. In phytophagous insects, one way in which local adaptation has been demonstrated is by performing reciprocal transplant experiments where performance of insects on native and novel host plants are compared. Trade-offs are assumed to be responsible for a negative correlation in performance on alternative host plants. Due to mixed results of these experiments, the importance of trade-offs in host plant use of phytophagous insects has been under discussion. Here we propose that another genetic mechanism, the evolution of coadapted gene complexes, might also be associated with local adaptation. In this case, however, transplant experiments might not reveal any local adaptation until hybridization takes place. We review the results we have obtained in our work on the host plant use of the flea beetle Phyllotreta nemorum L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae), and propose a hypothesis involving coadapted genes to explain the distribution of genes that render P. nemorum resistant to defences of one of its host plants, Barbarea vulgaris R. Br. (Cruciferae).
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)207-215
JournalEntomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
Volume104
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2002

Keywords

  • Barbarea vulgaris
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Coadapted gene complex
  • Coleoptera
  • Cruciferae
  • Epistasis
  • Flea beetle
  • Local adaptation
  • Phyllotreta nemorum
  • Resistance

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Host plant use of Phyllotreta nemorum: do coadapted gene complexes play a role?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this