Genetic differentiation of the pine processionary moth at the southern edge of its range: contrasting patterns between mitochondrial and nuclear markers.

ABSTRACT: The pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) is an important pest of coniferous forests at the southern edge of its range in Maghreb. Based on mitochondrial markers, a strong genetic differentiation was previously found in this species between western (pityocampa clade) and eastern Maghreb populations (ENA clade), with the contact zone between the clades located in Algeria. We focused on the moth range in Algeria, using both mitochondrial (a 648 bp fragment of the tRNA-cox2) and nuclear (11 microsatellite loci) markers. A further analysis using a shorter mtDNA fragment and the same microsatellite loci was carried out on a transect in the contact zone between the mitochondrial clades. Mitochondrial diversity showed a strong geographical structure and a well-defined contact zone bet

SUBMITTER: El Mokhefi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4884675 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature