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Geographic variation in winter hardiness of a common agricultural pest, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, the Colorado potato beetle

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Abstract

Successful latitudinal expansions into temperate climates depend largely upon the evolution of novel adaptive traits or the presence of pre-adaptive or exapted mechanisms for survival in seasonal climates. Geographic comparisons of ancestral (pre-expansion) and derived (post-expansion) populations provide a useful framework for understanding the evolutionary conditions that facilitate geographic expansions. Using a common agricultural pest, the Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) as a model, we conducted a regional comparison of cold hardiness and overwintering success among ancestral (southern Mexico) and derived (Vermont and Kansas, USA) L. decemlineata populations. In order to determine if ancestral and derived beetle populations vary physiologically for cold hardiness, we compared supercooling points (SCPs) of three geographic populations of L. decemlineata. We also tested if ancestral and derived beetle populations differed in their overwintering behavior and success by performing an overwintering field experiment. Ancestral and derived populations did not express different physiological responses (i.e. SCPs) to freezing temperatures. However, ancestral and derived populations responded differently to the onset of winter conditions and displayed dissimilar overwintering behaviors. The majority of ancestral beetles failed to initiate diapause and dug upward within experimental mesocosms. Differences in overwintering behavior also resulted in significant variation in overwintering success as derived populations displayed higher overwintering survivorship when compared with ancestral populations. Given our results, it is evident that research exploring the interaction of the ecological factors and evolutionary processes is necessary to fully realize the dynamics of biological invasions.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Jordan Armstrong for his technical assistance during the rearing of L. decemlineata populations and the University of Vermont Greenhouse Management Staff, especially Tom Doubleday, Dave Heleba and Colleen Armstrong for their experimental support. Furthermore, we would like to extend our gratitude to the late Scott Costa for the use of his supercooling equipment and support during the execution of the study. We are also grateful to Scott Lewins for his counsel during the length of the study and his review of the manuscript. We would also like to thank Liz Saccardi for her editorial comments. Finally we want to thank Charles Goodnight, Deborah Neher and Alison Brody of the University Vermont for their support and advisory roles during this project.

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  1. Plant and Soil Science Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Victor M. Izzo & Yolanda H. Chen

  2. Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    David J. Hawthorne

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  1. Victor M. Izzo
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Correspondence to Victor M. Izzo.

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Izzo, V.M., Hawthorne, D.J. & Chen, Y.H. Geographic variation in winter hardiness of a common agricultural pest, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, the Colorado potato beetle. Evol Ecol 28, 505–520 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-013-9681-8

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