Population genetic structure of the predatory, social wasp Vespula pensylvanica in its native and invasive range.

ABSTRACT: Invasive species cause extensive damage to their introduced ranges. Ocean archipelagos are particularly vulnerable to invasive taxa. In this study, we used polymorphic microsatellite markers to investigate the genetic structure of the social wasp Vespula pensylvanica in its native range of North America and its introduced range in the archipelago of Hawaii. Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the invasion dynamics of social species and the processes affecting biological invasions. We found that V. pensylvanica showed no significant genetic isolation by distance and little genetic structure over a span of 2000 km in its native range. This result suggests that V. pensylvanica can successfully disperse across large distances either through natural- or human-mediated mechanisms. In

SUBMITTER: Chau LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4813109 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature