**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE MEXICAN RICE BORER (EOREUMA LOFTINI) IS AN INVASIVE INSECT FEEDING ON SUGARCANE, RICE, CORN, SORGHUM, AND OTHER GRASSES. THE INSECT WAS FIRST REPORTED AS A PEST ON SUGARCANE IN 1980 FOLLOWING ITS INTRODUCTION INTO SOUTHERN TEXAS, AND HAS SPREAD IN A NORTHEASTERN DIRECTION ALONG THE GULF COAST INTO LOUISIANA. THE SPECIES HAS ALSO BECOME ESTABLISHED IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, WITH THE FIRST DETECTION REPORTED IN 2012. EXPANSION IN NORTH AMERICA HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY DOCUMENTED FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS WITH RECORDS FROM PHEROMONE TRAPPING NETWORKS. NORTHWARD EXPANSION HAS BEEN AIDED BY EVOLUTION OF IMPROVED COLD TOLERANCE. THIS HISTORIC RANGE EXPANSION PROVIDES AN IDEAL SYSTEM FOR STUDY OF THE INTERACTIONS OF POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE, INVASION DYNAMICS, AND ADAPTIVE CHANGE. SPECIFICALLY, THIS SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN GENETIC STRUCTURE AMONG POPULATIONS WITH VARYING INVASION DYNAMICS WITHIN THE SAME SPECIES.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO (1) CHARACTERIZE E. LOFTINI GENETIC STRUCTURE FROM EIGHT GEOGRAPHIC POPULATIONS USING GENOTYPING-BY-SEQUENCING (2) DETERMINE FINE-SCALE GENETIC STRUCTURE AT THE LEADING EDGES OF EXPANSION AND ASSESS THE INFLUENCE OF SELECTION PRESSURE ON EXPANSION DYNAMICS (3) COMPARE COLD TOLERANCE AMONG GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTINCT E. LOFTINI POPULATIONS AND PREDICT FUTURE NORTH AMERICAN RANGE EXPANSION.THE BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TWO-FOLD. IN ADDITION TO SERVING AS A MODEL SYSTEM FOR THE STUDY OF POPULATION GENETICS DURING BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS, THIS PROJECT WILL HELP MITIGATE IMPACTS OF AN ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT CROP PEST.

Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators