The implications of rapid eco‐evolutionary processes for biological control ‐ a review

Abstract

Novel environmental conditions experienced by introduced species can drive rapid evolution of diverse traits. In turn, rapid evolution, both adaptive and non-adaptive, can influence population size, growth rate, and other important ecological characteristics of populations. In addition, spatial evolutionary processes that arise from a combination of assortative mating between highly dispersive individuals at the expanding edge of populations and altered reproductive rates of those individuals can accelerate expansion speed. Growing experimental evidence shows that the effects of rapid evolution on ecological dynamics can be quite large, and thus it can affect establishment, persistence, and the distribution of populations. We review the experimental and theoretical literature on such eco-evolutionary feedbacks and evaluate the implications of these processes for biological control. Experiments show that evolving populations can establish at higher rates and grow larger than non-evolving populations. However, non-adaptive processes, such as genetic drift and inbreeding depression can also lead to reduced fitness and declines in population size. Spatial evolutionary processes can increase spread rates and change the fitness of individuals at the expansion front. These examples demonstrate the power of eco-evolutionary dynamics and indicate that evolution is likely more important in biocontrol programs than previously realized. We discuss how this knowledge can be used to enhance efficacy of biological control.

Jekyll or Hyde? The genome (and more) of Nesidiocoris tenuis, a zoophytophagous predatory bug that is both a biological control agent and a pest

“…Conversely, enough material could be obtained for sequencing on a long‐read platform, but may require pooling material from multiple individuals, potentially complicating assembly due to the heterozygosity of the population. While possible solutions include estimating the heterozygosity or setting up inbred populations [which can be nearly impossible if deleterious effects of inbreeding need to be avoided or if the presence of a complementary sex determining system limits inbreeding (van Wilgenburg et al ., 2006; Szűcs et al ., 2019)], an alternative is to create a linked‐read library. The 10x Genomics platform creates a microfluidic partitioned library that individually barcodes minute amounts of long strands of DNA for further amplification (10x Genomics Inc., Pleasanton, CA).…”

Genome Assembly of the Ragweed Leaf Beetle: A Step Forward to Better Predict Rapid Evolution of a Weed Biocontrol Agent to Environmental Novelties

“…Rapid evolution of weed biological control agents (hereafter: BCAs) to both biotic and abiotic environments is poorly understood and so far only little considered both in pre-release and post-release studies of weed biological control programs ( Roderick et al. 2012 ; Szűcs et al. 2019 ; Müller-Schärer et al.…”

Genetics of wild and mass-reared populations of a generalist aphid parasitoid and improvement of biological control

“…Moreover, efficiency of control of the targeted pests implies adaptation to the environment of release, to the range of targeted species [ 5 ], but also to the defenses of the hosts [ 6 ]. All these adaptations rely on genetic diversity [ 7 ] and may be challenged by the constraints imposed on mass-reared populations of natural enemies. During this process, a genetic bottleneck may induce an initial loss of genetic diversity, increasing across generations by drift and/or inbreeding [ 8 ].…”