Effects of domestication on quality control parameters of the Queensland fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

The Queensland fruit fly (Q‐fly), Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), is a major horticultural pest in Australia. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is increasingly used in area‐wide integrated management of Q‐fly, as well as for eradication of outbreaks in Q‐fly‐free regions. Quality control (QC) procedures are important to monitor and maintain high standards of mass‐reared insects for SIT. Effective use of QC procedures, and the setting of meaningful standards, requires a clear understanding of the short‐term factors that can cause changes in key parameters, such as failures in production systems, and also of the longer‐term effects of domestication on the performance of mass‐reared colonies. Artificial rearing conditions impose substantial selection pressures that can lead to changes in performance, and hence changes in the expected baseline values in QC assays. We investigated the effects of domestication on QC parameters of old and young Q‐fly colonies originating from three distant geographical locations in Australia: Sydney (Generation >100 and 7), Brisbane (Generation 59 and 14) and Cairns (Generation 29 and 9). Standard QC parameters including development time, pupal recovery, pupal weight, adult emergence, sex ratio, flight ability, fecundity, egg hatchability and longevity were assessed. Regardless of their origin, older Q‐fly colonies had lower egg hatchability, shorter developmental time, higher fecundity, higher survival under stress and greater longevity. We emphasize the importance of understanding the effects of continued domestication on QC measures when setting standards for assessment of fruit fly strains used in SIT programmes, particularly when using strains that are regularly replaced or infused with wild stock.

Differential pheromone profile as a contributor to premating isolation between two sympatric sibling fruit fly species

“…Two strains of each species differing in number of generations in the laboratory are used in all comparisons to test whether volatile profiles change during domestication. Preliminary evidence for domestication-related changes in rectal gland volatile production has already been reported for B. tryoni ( Pérez et al 2018 , Castro-Vargas et al 2023 ) and domestication-related changes have also been demonstrated for some other characters ( Weldon 2005 , Lynch et al 2018 , Popa-Báez et al 2020 , Ahmed et al 2022 , Gaire et al 2022 ).…”

Temperature Sensitivity of Wild-Type, Mutant and Genetic Sexing Strains of Ceratitis capitata

“…These alterations can affect various phenotypes and life-history traits. Therefore, they should be continuously monitored to verify that genetic diversity, biological quality, and competitiveness are maintained and that the production of high-quality sterile insects for SIT applications is assured [ 33 , 34 ]. Towards this goal, periodic refreshments of mass-reared colonies with wild or partially inbred material have been proven to greatly value mass-rearing facilities [ 29 , 31 , 35 ].…”

Consequences of domestication in eastern oyster: Insights from whole genomic analyses

“…Equally or perhaps more diverse are contexts where captive breeding and propagation are needed for a species, but no genotypic or phenotypic change is desired. These include population supplementation and restoration, zoos, endangered species reintroductions, sterile insect releases, and maintenance of stocks for ecotoxicology, where test subjects are assumed to be representative of wild taxa (Brown et al., 2009 ; Frankham, 2008 ; Gaire et al., 2022 ). It is widely recognized that genetic changes are difficult to avoid in captivity, but directional changes caused by inadvertent natural selection in culture or as a result of rearing environment have been studied in relatively few taxa (Hoffmann & Ross, 2018 ).…”

“…High mating success relative to wild males is required for sterile males to have a demographic effect, so the goal in captivity is to minimize evolutionary change. Nonetheless, comparison of relatively young (25 gen.) versus old (50 gen.) stocks showed the latter to have lower egg hatchability, shorter developmental time, higher fecundity, higher survival under stress, and greater longevity (Gaire et al., 2022 ). Measuring and understanding natural selection in culture can help anticipate and manage its effects in breeding and propagation contexts where evolutionary stasis is the goal.…”