Fall armyworm migration across the Lesser Antilles and the potential for genetic exchanges between North and South American populations

RODNEY N. NAGOSHI, SHELBY FLEISCHER, ROBERT L. MEAGHER, MIRIAN HAY-ROE, AYUB KHAN, M. GABRIELA MURUA, PIERRE SILVIE,, CLORINDA VERGARA, JOHN WESTBROOK

PLOS ONE

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2017

1932-6203

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith)(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is animportant agricultural pest of the Western Hemisphere noted for its broad host range, longdistance flight capabilities, and a propensity to develop resistance to pesticides that includesa subset of those used in genetically modified corn varieties. These characteristics exacerbatethe threat fall armyworm poses to agriculture, with the potential that a resistance traitarising in one geographical location could rapidly disseminate throughout the hemisphere. Aregion of particular concern is the Caribbean, where a line of islands that extends from Floridato Venezuela provides a potential migratory pathway between populations from Northand South America that could allow for consistent and substantial genetic interactions. Inthis study, surveys of populations from Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Trinidad & Tobagoexpand on previous work in South America that indicates a generally homogeneous populationwith respect to haplotype markers. This population differs from that found in most ofthe Lesser Antilles where a combination of genetic and meteorological observations is describedthat indicate fall armyworm migration from Puerto Rico to as far south as Barbados,but does not support significant incursion into Trinidad & Tobago and South America. Airtransport projections demonstrate that the wind patterns in the Caribbean region are notconducive to consistent flight along the north-south orientation of the Lesser Antilles, supportingthe conclusion that such migration is minor and sporadic, providing few opportunitiesfor genetic exchanges. The implications of these findings on the dissemination of deleterioustraits between the two Western Hemisphere continents are discussed.