Estimation of the number of founders of an invasive pest insect population: the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in the USA.

ABSTRACT: Determination of the number of founders responsible for the establishment of invasive populations is important for developing biologically based management practices, predicting the invasive potential of species, and making inferences about ecological and evolutionary processes. The fire ant Solenopsis invicta is a major invasive pest insect first introduced into the USA from its native South American range in the mid-1930s. We use data from diverse genetic markers surveyed in the source population and the USA to estimate the number of founders of this introduced population. Data from different classes of nuclear markers (microsatellites, allozymes, sex-determination locus) and mitochondrial DNA are largely congruent in suggesting that 9-20 unrelated mated queens comprised the initial foun

SUBMITTER: Ross KG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2603238 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature