Open AccessOtiorhynchus sulcatus , an autopolyploid general‐purpose genotype species?
Author(s) -
Lundmark Magnus
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
hereditas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1601-5223
pISSN - 0018-0661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5223.2010.02198.x
Subject(s) - biology , weevil , pest analysis , curculionidae , mitochondrial dna , genotype , botany , ecology , zoology , genetics , gene
The weevil Otiorhynchus sulcatus is a pest species that has spread rapidly to large parts of the world due to human activities. O. sulcatus is extremely polyphagous and found to attack a large number of agricultural and horticultural plant species despite that all individuals are clonal triploid females. I here compare the genetical variation in specimens from various parts of the distribution using both mtDNA and nuclear DNA. The genetical markers employed indicate O. sulcatus to be an evolutionary young clonal species of non‐hybrid origin. The extreme polyphagy and ecological success indicate that these weevils may well be a prime example of general purpose genotypes.