Geographical distribution and genetic analysis reveal recent global invasion of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci primarily associated with only three Haplotypes

Authors: PENG, JING - South China Agricultural Univerisity; LV, XIAO-LU - South China Agricultural Univerisity; RAN, XIAO-TONG - Chongqing University; JINDAL, VIKAS - Punjab Agricultural University; BANTA, GEETIKA - Punjab Agricultural University; GUPTA, VIRASH - Punjab Agricultural University; KUMAR, VIVEK - University Of Florida; WU, QING-JUN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; MOHINDRU, BHARATH - Punjab Agricultural University; McKenzie, Cindy; OSBORNE, LANCE - University Of Florida; Ahmed, Muhammad; QIU, BAOLI - South China Agricultural Univerisity

Submitted to: Bulletin of Entomological Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/17/2024
Publication Date: 2/17/2025
Citation: Peng, J., Lv, X., Ran, X., Jindal, V., Mohindru, B., Banta, G., Gupta, V.K., Kumar, V., Wu, Q., Mckenzie, C.L., Osborne, L., Ahmed, M.Z., Qiu, B. Geographical distribution and genetic analysis reveal recent global invasion of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci primarily associated with only three Haplotypes. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 1-13. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485324000828.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485324000828

Interpretive Summary: The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a globally important species complex, especially one species Middle East-Asia Minor 1(MEAM1) that has spread to more than 50 countries. MEAM1 invaded India in 1999 and of interest was how this invasion compared to invasions by MEAM1 into Australia, China and the USA. MEAM1 spread rapidly across these latter three countries. In contrast, MEAM1 in India showed a different pattern, not spreading but remaining restricted to the area it invaded. The 1999 invasion was attributed to one genetic type, called Hap1. An assessment of MEAM1 in India showed a level of genetic diversity equivalent to that found in its presumed home range and much higher than what is observed across the invaded range. This diversity and restricted distribution of Hap1 raised the prospect that MEAM1’s geographic origin extends into India. Our research indicates that China may also be part of the home range of MEAM1, where the whitefly was not recognized as an important pest until the invasion by Hap1. This study unifies our understanding of whitefly diversity in India, increases our understanding of species invasions, and shows that the global spread by MEAM1 has been driven primarily by a single genetic type.

Technical Abstract: The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci is a cryptic species complex in which one member, Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) has invaded globally. After invading large countries like Australia, China and USA, MEAM1 spread rapidly across each country. In contrast, our analysis of MEAM1 in India showed a very different pattern. Despite the detection of MEAM1 being contemporaneous with invasions in Australia, USA and China, MEAM1 has not spread widely and instead remains restricted to the southern regions. An assessment of Indian MEAM1 genetic diversity showed a level of diversity equivalent to that found in its presumed home range and significantly higher than that expected across the invaded range. The high level of diversity and restricted distribution raises the prospect that its home range extends into India. Similarly, while the levels of diversity in Australia and the USA conformed to that expected for the invaded range, China did not. It suggests that China may also be part of its home range. We also observed that diversity across the invaded range was primarily accounted for by a single haplotype, Hap1, which accounted for 79.8 percent of all records. It was only the invasion of Hap1 that enabled outbreaks to occur and MEAM1’s discovery.