The Final Frontier: Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics of a Global Parasite Invasion

Overview

Journal Biol Lett

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 May 24

PMID 37222245

Authors

Nadine C Chapman

Theotime Colin

James Cook

Carmen R B da Silva

Ros Gloag

Katja Hogendoorn

Scarlett R Howard

Emily J Remnant

John M K Roberts

Simon M Tierney

Rachele S Wilson

Alexander S Mikheyev

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Studying rapid biological changes accompanying the introduction of alien organisms into native ecosystems can provide insights into fundamental ecological and evolutionary theory. While powerful, this quasi-experimental approach is difficult to implement because the timing of invasions and their consequences are hard to predict, meaning that baseline pre-invasion data are often missing. Exceptionally, the eventual arrival of (hereafter Varroa) in Australia has been predicted for decades. Varroa is a major driver of honeybee declines worldwide, particularly as vectors of diverse RNA viruses. The detection of Varroa in 2022 at over a hundred sites poses a risk of further spread across the continent. At the same time, careful study of Varroa's spread, if it does become established, can provide a wealth of information that can fill knowledge gaps about its effects worldwide. This includes how Varroa affects honeybee populations and pollination. Even more generally, Varroa invasion can serve as a model for evolution, virology and ecological interactions between the parasite, the host and other organisms.

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