Nikola Lacković

Success of classical biocontrol agent Torymus sinensis within its expanding range in Europe

Torymus sinensis Kamijo (Hymenoptera, Torymidae), a classical biocontrol agent of chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae), was released in Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary in 2015. Following the introduction, the research of parasitism rates and population genetic indices on 40 different sites was performed to monitor and evaluate the success of establishment. The observed parasitism rates were unexpectedly high and negatively correlated with the distance from westernmost locality, while population genetic indices showed that populations of T. sinensis did not suffer from bottleneck‐induced founder effect phenomenon. Moreover, lack of genetic differentiation demonstrates that all populations share similar genetic structure, which could be shaped only by high levels of gene flow. We conclude that T. sinensis established viable and genetically diverse populations and successfully spread naturally from Italy across Slovenia to Croatia and Hungary.

Genetic split between coastal and continental populations of gypsy moth separated by Dinaric Alps

The gypsy moth, a polyphagous herbivore species, infests mainly deciduous trees in the northern hemisphere, being invasive in North America. In Croatia, gypsy moth is infesting both continental and coastal forests, with the Dinaric Alps posing a physical migratory barrier between two regions. During outbreaks, caterpillars cause severe damages in both regions, though with different outbreak dynamics, which suggests genetic differences between populations. Representative populations from these two regions were screened by sequencing a region of the mitochondrial COI gene. Ninety‐nine sequences resulted in seventeen haplotypes, and analyses revealed a significant genetic differentiation between coastal and continental populations, quite likely attributed to geographic isolation and post‐glacial history. This differentiation arises from significantly higher genetic variability in Mediterranean population, indicating their higher adaptability, an intriguing fact in case of possible northward range shift of gypsy moth.

Limited Genetic Structure of Gypsy Moth Populations Reflecting a Recent History in Europe

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, a prominent polyphagous species native to Eurasia, causes severe impacts in deciduous forests during irregular periodical outbreaks. This study aimed to describe the genetic structure and diversity among European gypsy moth populations. Analysis of about 500 individuals using a partial region of the mitochondrial COI gene, L. dispar was characterized by low genetic diversity, limited population structure, and strong evidence that all extant haplogroups arose via a single Holocene population expansion event. Overall 60 haplotypes connected to a single parsimony network were detected and genetic diversity was highest for the coastal populations Croatia, Italy, and France, while lowest in continental populations. Phylogenetic reconstruction resulted in three groups that were geographically located in Central Europe, Dinaric Alps, and the Balkan Peninsula. In addition to recent events, the genetic structure reflects strong gene flow and the ability of gypsy moth to feed on about 400 deciduous and conifer species. Distinct genetic groups were detected in populations from Georgia. This remote population exhibited haplotypes intermediate to the European L. dispar dispar, Asian L. dispar asiatica, and L. dispar japonica clusters, highlighting this area as a possible hybridization zone of this species for future studies applying genomic approaches.

Foliage maturity of Quercus ilex affects the larval development of a Croatian coastal population of Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Abstract Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is one of the most important forest pests in the world. Numerous previous studies focused only on different host tree species, but small number of them on foliage age. Since recent genetic analyses showed that there are significant differences between Croatian continental and coastal population we investigated coastal population since there was no previous research. For this research juvenile and mature foliage of Holm oak (Quercus ilex) was used. Larval development was investigated in two laboratory experiments. One experiment involved rearing trials consisting of 50 individual larvae per treatment while a parallel experiment investigated gregarious feeding conditions using 120 larvae in a rearing treatment. Larval mortality was lower and development time shorter for individuals reared on juvenile foliage. High pupation success in both the individual and group rearing experiment for larvae reared on juvenile foliage was also observed. To conclude, our results showed high mortality, poor larval development and low pupation success in larvae reared on mature foliage. This research is significant because in the aspect of ongoing climate changes there is a possibility that gypsy moth will move to the north and shift its distribution by expanding into new climatic area.