Population genetic theory predicts that the strong truncation selection imposed on pest populations by insecticide application will erode allelic diversity at loci conferring resistance. This effect is also felt at linked loci and the strength of that effect declines at increased genetic distances from the selected locus. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing allelic diversity at three loci of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata; one very close to a locus conferring resistance to synthetic pyrethroids and two others unlinked to resistance to these
insecticides. This study also compares patterns of genetic diversity between beetles in heavily treated agricultural regions and those in ancestral locations with very little pest management. A better understanding of the effects of resistance selection on the entire genome will help target loci conferring resistance to novel compounds.
Species 1: Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado potato beetle)
Keywords: population genetics, insecticide resistance
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA