Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species
Many invasive species undergo a significant reduction in genetic diversity, i.e. a genetic bottleneck, in the early stages of invasion. However, this reduction does not necessarily prevent them from achieving considerable ecological success and becoming highly efficient colonizers. Here we investiga...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Lombaert, Eric Blin, Aurélie Porro, Barbara Guillemaud, Thomas Bernal, Julio S. Chang, Gary Kirichenko, Natalia Sappington, Thomas W. Toepfer, Stefan Deleury, Emeline |
| author_facet | Lombaert, Eric Blin, Aurélie Porro, Barbara Guillemaud, Thomas Bernal, Julio S. Chang, Gary Kirichenko, Natalia Sappington, Thomas W. Toepfer, Stefan Deleury, Emeline |
| author_sort | Lombaert, Eric |
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| description | Many invasive species undergo a significant reduction in genetic diversity, i.e. a genetic bottleneck, in the early stages of invasion. However, this reduction does not necessarily prevent them from achieving considerable ecological success and becoming highly efficient colonizers. Here we investigated the purge hypothesis, which suggests that demographic bottlenecks may facilitate conditions (e.g., increased homozygosity and inbreeding) under which natural selection can purge deleterious mutations, thereby reducing genetic load. We used a transcriptome-based exome capture protocol to identify thousands of SNPs in coding regions of native and invasive populations of two highly successful invasive insect species, the western corn rootworm (Chrysomelidae: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) and the harlequin ladybird (Coccinelidae: Harmonia axyridis). We categorized and polarized SNPs to investigate changes in genetic load between invasive populations and their sources. Our results differed between species. In D. virgifera virgifera, although there was a general reduction in genetic diversity in invasive populations, including that associated with genetic load, we found no clear evidence for purging of genetic load, except marginally for highly deleterious mutations in one European population. Conversely, in H. axyridis, the reduction in genetic diversity was minimal, and we detected signs of genetic load fixation in invasive populations. These findings provide new insights into the evolution of genetic load during invasions, but do not offer a definitive answer to the purge hypothesis. Future research should include larger genomic datasets and a broader range of invasive species to further elucidate these dynamics. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b716a7a229b548e4b9926713fde5acb42025-08-20T03:58:13ZengPeer Community InPeer Community Journal2804-38712025-04-01510.24072/pcjournal.53910.24072/pcjournal.539Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species Lombaert, Eric0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0949-6690Blin, Aurélie1Porro, Barbara2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0294-1886Guillemaud, Thomas3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0451-1644Bernal, Julio S.4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4615-2213Chang, Gary5https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5012-1945Kirichenko, Natalia6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7362-6464Sappington, Thomas W.7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4083-4101Toepfer, Stefan8Deleury, Emeline9https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8922-2993INRAE, Université Côte d’Azur, ISA, 400 Route des Chappes, 06903 Sophia-Antipolis, FranceINRAE, Université Côte d’Azur, ISA, 400 Route des Chappes, 06903 Sophia-Antipolis, FranceINRAE, Université Côte d’Azur, ISA, 400 Route des Chappes, 06903 Sophia-Antipolis, France; Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, 2 Rue Gaston Crémieux, 91000 Évry-Courcouronnes, FranceINRAE, Université Côte d’Azur, ISA, 400 Route des Chappes, 06903 Sophia-Antipolis, FranceDepartment of Entomology, Texas A&M University, 370 Olsen Blvd., College Station, TX 77843-2475, USABiology Department, Gonzaga University, 502 East Boone Ave., Spokane, WA 99258-0102, USASukachev Institute of Forest, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center “Krasnoyarsk Science Center SB RAS”, Akademgorodok 50/28, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia; Institute of Ecology and Geography, Siberian Federal University, Svobodny pr. 79, 660041 Krasnoyarsk, Russia; All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center, Krasnoyarsk branch, Zhelyabova ut. 6/6, 660020 Krasnoyarsk, RussiaUSDA-Agricultural Research Service, Corn Insects & Crop Genetics Research Unit, 1012 Crop Genome Informatics Lab, 819 Wallace Road, Ames, IA 50011-4014, USA; Iowa State University, Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology, 1344 Advanced Teaching and Research Building, 2213 Pammel Drive, Ames, IA 50011, USACABI Switzerland, c/o Plant Protection and Soil Conservation Directorate, Rarosi ut. 110, H 6800 Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary; MARA-CABI Joint Laboratory for Biosafety, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, ChinaINRAE, Université Côte d’Azur, ISA, 400 Route des Chappes, 06903 Sophia-Antipolis, FranceMany invasive species undergo a significant reduction in genetic diversity, i.e. a genetic bottleneck, in the early stages of invasion. However, this reduction does not necessarily prevent them from achieving considerable ecological success and becoming highly efficient colonizers. Here we investigated the purge hypothesis, which suggests that demographic bottlenecks may facilitate conditions (e.g., increased homozygosity and inbreeding) under which natural selection can purge deleterious mutations, thereby reducing genetic load. We used a transcriptome-based exome capture protocol to identify thousands of SNPs in coding regions of native and invasive populations of two highly successful invasive insect species, the western corn rootworm (Chrysomelidae: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) and the harlequin ladybird (Coccinelidae: Harmonia axyridis). We categorized and polarized SNPs to investigate changes in genetic load between invasive populations and their sources. Our results differed between species. In D. virgifera virgifera, although there was a general reduction in genetic diversity in invasive populations, including that associated with genetic load, we found no clear evidence for purging of genetic load, except marginally for highly deleterious mutations in one European population. Conversely, in H. axyridis, the reduction in genetic diversity was minimal, and we detected signs of genetic load fixation in invasive populations. These findings provide new insights into the evolution of genetic load during invasions, but do not offer a definitive answer to the purge hypothesis. Future research should include larger genomic datasets and a broader range of invasive species to further elucidate these dynamics.https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.539/target enrichmentnon-model organismpopulation genomicspool-sequencingHarmonia axyridisDiabrotica virgifera virgiferagenetic load |
| spellingShingle | Lombaert, Eric Blin, Aurélie Porro, Barbara Guillemaud, Thomas Bernal, Julio S. Chang, Gary Kirichenko, Natalia Sappington, Thomas W. Toepfer, Stefan Deleury, Emeline Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species Peer Community Journal target enrichment non-model organism population genomics pool-sequencing Harmonia axyridis Diabrotica virgifera virgifera genetic load |
| title | Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species
|
| title_full | Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species
|
| title_fullStr | Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species
|
| title_full_unstemmed | Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species
|
| title_short | Unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion: insights from two invasive insect species
|
| title_sort | unraveling genetic load dynamics during biological invasion insights from two invasive insect species |
| topic | target enrichment non-model organism population genomics pool-sequencing Harmonia axyridis Diabrotica virgifera virgifera genetic load |
| url | https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.539/ |
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