| Grant number: | 03/02698-3 |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Projects - Thematic Grants |
| Start date: | November 01, 2003 |
| End date: | April 30, 2008 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics |
| Principal Investigator: | Denise Selivon Scheepmaker |
| Grantee: | Denise Selivon Scheepmaker |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Pesquisadores principais: | Celso Luis Marino |
Abstract
Fruit flies belonging to Tephritidae family are considered important pests of fruit culture all over the world since they use commercial varieties of fruits for larval development. Besides the direct losses caused in fruit production, they impose severe restrictions to consumption and to exportation of fruits. The nominal species Anastrepha fraterculus is one of the most economic important species, and it was shown that in reality it comprises a complex of cryptic species, the so-called fraterculus complex. Three different entities of the complex occur in Brazil. The identification of these species by morphological analysis is difficult but they show differences in several biological characteristics including a differential host fruit range. Although preliminary surveys indicate rare hybridization among these species in natural populations, crosses do occur in laboratory conditions, including to more distant related species. However, the hybrid progenies showed a series of alterations indicating the existence of post-zygotic incompatibilities among them. The characterization of the species in the fraterculus complex is fundamental from a practical point of view since the usual methods for control and populational suppresion are species-specifics. For example, in the SIT (sterile insect technique) it is absolutely necessary to ascertain the capability of the sterile males produced in the biofabrics to copulate with the females of the different productive areas. This practical approach, and the potential of this group of flies as experimental model, turns the species of the fraterculus complex an excellent system for the study of aspects of reproductive isolation. It is proposed in the present project a series of analysis of characteristics that mar be involved in the reproductive isolation among the species of this complex of cryptic species. The project will be focused on three species of the complex, Anastrepha sp.1 aff. fraterculus, A. sp.2 and A. sp.3, and A. obliqua as an outgroup, and the following topics will be analysed: 1. The zones of sympatry will be studied in order to ascertain the occurrence of hybridization, and to estimare gene flow among the species. This analysis will be based on a detailed study of the chromosomes stained by fluorochromes and other banding techniques... (AU)
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