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Originally published in Science Express on 8 November 2007
Science 14 December 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5857, pp. 1769 - 1772
DOI: 10.1126/science.1149887
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Reports

Asymmetric Mating Interactions Drive Widespread Invasion and Displacement in a Whitefly

Shu-Sheng Liu,1* P. J. De Barro,2 Jing Xu,1 Jun-Bo Luan,1 Lian-Sheng Zang,1 Yong-Ming Ruan,1 Fang-Hao Wan3

The role of behavioral mechanisms in animal invasions is poorly understood. We show that asymmetric mating interactions between closely related but previously allopatric genetic groups of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, a haplodiploid species, have been a driving force contributing to widespread invasion and displacement by alien populations. We conducted long-term field surveys, caged population experiments, and detailed behavioral observations in Zhejiang, China, and Queensland, Australia, to investigate the invasion process and its underlying behavioral mechanisms. During invasion and displacement, we found increased frequency of copulation leading to increased production of female progeny among the invader, as well as reduced copulation and female production in the indigenous genetic groups. Such asymmetric mating interactions may be critical to determining the capacity of a haplodiploid invader and the consequences for its closely related indigenous organisms.

1 Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China.
2 CSIRO Entomology, 120 Meiers Road, Indooropilly, Queensland 4068, Australia.
3 Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: shshliu{at}zju.edu.cn

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)