PAPER: Reduced wasp colony fitness

The association between mitochondrial genetic variation and reduced colony fitness in an invasive wasp

July 2019

Dobelmann J, Alexander A, Baty JW, Gemmell NJ, Gruber MAM, Quinn O, Wenseleers T, Lester PJ 2019. The association between mitochondrial genetic variation and reduced colony fitness in an invasive wasp. Molecular Ecology 28(14): 3324-3338.

ABSTRACT

Despite the mitochondrion’s long-recognized role in energy production, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation commonly found in natural populations was assumed to be effectively neutral. However, variation in mtDNA has now been increasingly linked to phenotypic variation in life history traits and fitness. We examined whether the relative fitness in native and invasive common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) populations in Belgium and New Zealand (NZ), respectively, can be linked to mtDNA variation.

KEYWORDS

colony fitness; invasive species; mitochondrial DNA; mtdna variation; Vespula vulgaris; vulgaris l. hymenoptera; control region; common wasps; natural-selection; size variation; DNA; evolution; population; Vespidae