Host-associated differentiation among Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) populations associated with maize and a perennial teosinte

Agricultural fields provide ephemeral habitat to economically important arthropods.To cope with anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., pesticide application and harvesting), many arthropod pests disperse to both cultivated and non-cultivated alternative host plants in the surrounding landscape. Little is known about the gene flow between insect populations on cultivated and non-cultivated plants. In this study we assessed the level of gene flow between populations of the corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis inhabiting cultivated maize (Zea mays mays) and the perennial teosinte Zea diploperennis. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprints were used to characterize the genetic variation of 97 D. maidis individuals found on maize and on Z. diploperennis in Mexico. Using 165 AFLP bands produced by EcoRI-ACT and MseI-CAT, Bayesian cluster analyses were conducted in STRUCTURE 2.3. Analyses indicated that D. maidis populations showed host-associated genetic differentiation (HAD). The results are discussed in light of the differences between cultivated annual plants and uncultivated perennial plants.