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Adaptive evolution to the natural and anthropogenic environment in a global invasive crop pest, the cotton bollworm

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  • Minghui Jin
  • Henry L. North
  • Yan Peng
  • Hangwei Liu
  • Bo liu
  • Ruiqing Pan
  • Yan Zhou
  • Weigang Zheng
  • Kaiyu Liu
  • Bo Yang
  • Lei Zhang
  • Qi Xu
  • Samia Elfekih
  • Wendy Valencia Montoya
  • Tom Walsh
  • Peng Cui
  • Yongfeng Zhou
  • Chris Jiggins
  • Kongming Wu
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Article number100454
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>10/07/2023
<mark>Journal</mark>The Innovation
Issue number4
Volume4
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date30/05/23
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, is set to become the most economically devastating crop pest in the world, threatening food security and bio-safety as its range expands across the globe. Key to understanding the eco-evolutionary dynamics of H. armigera, and thus its management, is an understanding of population connectivity and the adaptations that allow the pest to establish in unique environments. We assembled a chromosome-scale reference genome and re-sequenced 503 individuals spanning the species range to delineate global patterns of connectivity, uncovering previously cryptic population structure. Using GWAS and cell line expression of major effect loci, we show that adaptive changes in a temperature- and light-sensitive developmental pathway enable facultative diapause, and that adaptation of trehalose synthesis and transport underlies cold tolerance in extreme environments. Incorporating extensive pesticide resistance monitoring, we also characterize a suite of novel pesticide and Bt resistance alleles under selection in East China. These findings offer avenues for more effective management strategies and provide insight into how insects adapt to variable climatic conditions and newly colonized environments.