Dormancy and host adaptation of two allopatric lineages of Euschistus heros (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

• Grant number: 18/20351-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): June 26, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Alberto Soares Corrêa
• Grantee: Frederico Hickmann
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/11495-3 - A demographic and adaptive approach for the development of sustainable management strategies of pest control to the Brazilian agroecosystem, AP.JP
• Associated scholarship(s): 21/11999-5 - The genetic mechanisms underlying diapause in agricultural pests, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The Neotropical Brown Stink Bug, Euschistus heros (F.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a key soybean pest in South America. Recently, our research group reported for the first time the presence of two allopatric lineages of E. heros in Brazil, one occurring in the North/Northeast region, another in the Southern region and a hybridization zone at the Cerrado region, apparently without reproductive barriers between lineages. Issues about the adaptive potential of these lineages and hybrid populations are of great importance for understanding the dynamics and population outbreaks. Knowing this, our aims with the present doctoral proposal are: to identify genetic and molecular mechanisms of dormancy and adaptation to hosts of different lineages of E. heros. In addition, to study the meiotic behavior of the chromosomes of both lineages and their hybrid offspring, to identify epigenetic markers associated with dormancy behavior in the two allopatric lineages of E. heros. To reach our objectives, the two strains will be submitted to two bioassays: (i) different temperatures and photoperiods; (ii) different hosts; where we will evaluate the fertility, biological and behavioral parameters. Subsequently, a transcriptome analysis (RNAseq) will be performed on insects from different bioassays and treatments to know the mechanisms/genes associated to dormancy and adaptation to hosts in E. heros populations. The meiotic behavior will be analyzed through evaluation of tissues from the male gonads and the epigenetic markers will be accessed via immunodetection. We hope that with these answers we can contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms associated with dormancy and adaptation to hosts of populations of E. heros. This information will be useful to understand the population dynamics and to implement more efficient and sustainable control strategies of E. heros. The present proposal has the objectives associated with the ongoing young researcher project of FAPESP (# 2014-11495-3) of the coordinator of this proposal. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

HICKMANN, FREDERICO; CORDEIRO, ERICK GOES; SOARES, PATRICIA LIMA; AURELIO, MATEUS SOUZA L.; SCHWERTNER, CRISTIANO FELDENS; CORREA, ALBERTO SOARES. eproductive Patterns Drive the Gene Flow and Spatial Dispersal of Euschistus heros (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae. Journal of Economic Entomology, v. 114, n. 6, p. 2346-2354, DEC 2021. (14/11495-3, 14/50871-0, 18/20351-6)

HICKMANN, FREDERICO; SAVARIS, MARCOANDRE; CORREA, ALBERTO SOARES; SCHWERTNER, CRISTIANO FELDENS. Euschistus crenator (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae): a New Invasive Species on Soybean Fields in Northern Brazil. Neotropical Entomology, v. 50, n. 3, JAN 2021. (18/20351-6, 14/11495-3, 14/50871-0)

HICKMANN, FREDERICO; MORAES, TAMARA; BIANCHI, FILIPE MICHELS; CORREA, ALBERTO SOARES; SCHWERTNER, CRISTIANO FELDENS. Integrating data to redescribe Euschistus taurulus Berg (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Zootaxa, v. 4688, n. 1, p. 119-134, OCT 21 2019. (18/20351-6, 18/09469-5)