Global phylogenetic relationships, population structure and gene flow estimation of Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Greenhouse whitefly)

Abstract

Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood, 1856) (Greenhouse whitefly) is an agricultural pest of global importance. It is associated with damage to plants during feeding and subsequent virus transmission. Yet, global phylogenetic relationships, population structure, and estimation of the rates of gene flow within this whitefly species remain largely unexplored. In this study, we obtained and filtered 227 GenBank records of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (mtCOI) sequences of T. vaporariorum, across various global locations to obtain a final set of 217 GenBank records. We further amplified and sequenced a *750 bp fragment of mtCOI from an additional 31 samples collected from Kenya in 2014. Based on a total of 248 mtCOI sequences, we identified 16 haplotypes, with extensive overlap across all countries. Population structure analysis did not suggest population differentiation. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the 2014 Kenyan collection of samples clustered with a single sequence from the Netherlands to form a well-supported clade (denoted clade 1a) nested within the total set of sequences (denoted clade 1). Pairwise distances between sequences show greater sequence divergence between clades than within clades. In addition, analysis using migrate-n gave evidence for recent gene flow between the two groups. Overall, we find that T. vaporariorum forms a single large group, with evidence of further diversification consisting primarily of Kenyan sequences and one sequence from the Netherlands forming a well-supported clade.

A temperature-dependent phenology model for the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

“…Ideally, we would have made predictions with fluctuating temperatures, however, these were not reported in such detail and actual temperature fluctuations could have influenced the simulation results. Other factors that might have caused divergences between reported and simulated life history parameters could be due to different T. vaporiarorum biotypes or haplotypes ( Barboza et al, 2019 ; Wainaina et al, 2018 ), cultivar resistance or simply a result of the apparently inherent high variability in life table parameters found in the species. Nevertheless, the established functions adequately predicted the result in most of the previous studies and therefore could be helpful in modeling development times of the whitefly in other host crops and regions.…”

Endophytic Colonisation of Solanum lycopersicum and Phaseolus vulgaris by Fungal Endophytes Promotes Seedlings Growth and Hampers the Reproductive Traits, Development, and Survival of the Greenhouse Whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum

“…The proliferation of greenhouses in Kenya has provided optimum climatic conditions for the high reproduction rates and proliferation of T. vaporariorum (Jones, 2003;Wainaina et al, 2018). From the greenhouses, the pest subsequently escapes into open fields, hence, its presence in both open and protected agricultural systems (Lapidot et al, 2014;Perring et al, 2018).…”

An Acylsucrose-Producing Tomato Line Derived from the Wild Species Solanum pimpinellifolium Decreases Fitness of the Whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum

“…The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae), is a major insect pest of global importance in greenhouse-grown vegetables and ornamental cash crops. It is associated with damage to plants during feeding on plant phloem and by excreting honeydew that covers leaf foliage reducing transpiration and favoring the development of sooty mold, which reduces photosynthetic activity and crop quality [1][2][3]. However, the most serious damage caused by the greenhouse whitefly is the transmission of a number of viral diseases in different crop species [4].…”