Insights from Population Genomics to Enhance and Sustain Biological Control of Insect Pests

Abstract

Biological control—the use of organisms (e.g., nematodes, arthropods, bacteria, fungi, viruses) for the suppression of insect pest species—is a well-established, ecologically sound and economically profitable tactic for crop protection. This approach has served as a sustainable solution for many insect pest problems for over a century in North America. However, all pest management tactics have associated risks. Specifically, the ecological non-target effects of biological control have been examined in numerous systems. In contrast, the need to understand the short- and long-term evolutionary consequences of human-mediated manipulation of biological control organisms for importation, augmentation and conservation biological control has only recently been acknowledged. Particularly, population genomics presents exceptional opportunities to study adaptive evolution and invasiveness of pests and biological control organisms. Population genomics also provides insights into (1) long-term biological consequences of releases, (2) the ecological success and sustainability of this pest management tactic and (3) non-target effects on native species, populations and ecosystems. Recent advances in genomic sequencing technology and model-based statistical methods to analyze population-scale genomic data provide a much needed impetus for biological control programs to benefit by incorporating a consideration of evolutionary consequences. Here, we review current technology and methods in population genomics and their applications to biological control and include basic guidelines for biological control researchers for implementing genomic technology and statistical modeling.

The Mycobiota of High Altitude Pear Orchards Soil in Colombia

“…In fact, they could be isolated from soil, then cultivated in laboratory with the resulting spores re-introduced in soil or in compost [108]. This bio-augmenting and enrichment of the fungal soil community with native strains is important because it helps preserve the delicate equilibrium of the soil fungal biodiversity of an area [109,110].…”

Interactions Among Native and Non-Native Predatory Coccinellidae Influence Biological Control and Biodiversity

“…Multi-year ecologically based studies combined with molecular, genetic, and demographic modeling techniques to quantify population and food web dynamics and movement within landscapes in Asia would provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying coexistence of predatory coccinellids ( Lawson Handley et al 2011 ; Thomas et al 2013 ; Heimoana et al 2017 ; Brown and Roy 2018 ; Sethuraman et al 2018 , 2020 ; Ammann et al 2020 ). This type of detailed knowledge of the native coccinellid community in Asia is critical to determine the potential effects of the invasive populations (biotypes) of H .…”

Hybridization and range expansion in tamarisk beetles (Diorhabda spp.) introduced to North America for classical biological control

“…The application of genomic approaches in biocontrol systems has the potential to improve both our understanding of contemporary evolutionary processes and management of invasive species and conservation (Leung et al, 2020; Muller-Scharer et al, 2020; Roderick & Navajas, 2003; Sethuraman et al, 2020; Szűcs et al, 2019). Specifically, our results provide a baseline timepoint upon which we can build to further disentangle the mechanisms of rapid range expansion and consequences of hybridization in Diorhabda .…”

“…Biocontrol systems thus provide an unmatched opportunity to study invasions from a genomic perspective because, compared to their respective target invasive species, biocontrol agents were introduced relatively recently and almost always intentionally, with known source locations, introduction localities, and sometimes known introduction population sizes (Marsico et al, 2010). Despite the opportunity biocontrol agents represent, genomic tools have rarely been used to identify and characterize the consequences of founder effects or evolutionary mechanisms contributing to establishment, persistence, range expansion, or rapid evolution in classical biocontrol agents of invasive species (Hopper et al, 2019; Leung et al, 2020; Muller-Scharer et al, 2020; Sethuraman, Janzen, Weisrock, & Obrycki, 2020; Szűcs, Vercken, Bitume, & Hufbauer, 2019).…”