Genetic data can help elucidate the dynamics of biological invasions, which are fueled by the constant expansion of international trade. The introduction of European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) into North America is a classic example of human‐aided invasion that has caused tremendous damage to North American temperate forests. Recently, the even more destructive Asian gypsy moth (mainly L. d. asiatica and L. d. japonica) has been intercepted in North America, mostly transported by cargo ships. To track invasion pathways, we developed a diagnostic panel of 60 DNA loci (55 nuclear and 5 mitochondrial) to characterize worldwide genetic differentiation within L. dispar and its sister species L. umbrosa. Hierarchical analyses supported strong differentiation and recovered five geographic groups that correspond to (1) North America, (2) Europe plus North Africa and Middle East, (3) the Urals, Central Asia, and Russian Siberia, (4) continental East Asia, and (5) the Japanese islands. Interestingly, L. umbrosa was grouped with L. d. japonica, and the introduced North American population exhibits remarkable distinctiveness from contemporary European counterparts. Each geographic group, except for North America, shows additional lower‐level structures when analyzed individually, which provided the basis for inference of the origin of invasive specimens. Two assignment approaches consistently identified a coastal area of continental East Asia as the major source for Asian invasion during 2014–2015, with Japan being another source. By analyzing simulation and laboratory crosses, we further provided evidence for the occurrence of natural Asian–North American hybrids in the Pacific Northwest, raising concerns for introgression of Asian alleles that may accelerate range expansion of gypsy moth in North America. Our study demonstrates how genetic data contribute to bio‐surveillance of invasive species with results that can inform regulatory management and reduce the frequency of trade‐associated invasions.

中文翻译：

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追踪破坏性落叶昆虫吉普赛蛾（Erebidae：Lymantria dispar）的入侵：种群结构、截获标本的起源以及亚洲人渗入北美。


基因数据可以帮助阐明生物入侵的动态，而国际贸易的不断扩张助长了生物入侵。欧洲舞毒蛾（ Lymantria dispar dispar ）引入北美是人类辅助入侵的典型例子，对北美温带森林造成了巨大破坏。最近，更具破坏性的亚洲舞毒蛾（主要是L. d. asiatica和L. d. japonica ）在北美被截获，大部分通过货船运输。为了追踪入侵途径，我们开发了一个包含 60 个 DNA 位点（55 个核基因座和 5 个线粒体基因座）的诊断组，以表征L. dispar及其姐妹物种L. umbrosa的全球遗传分化。层次分析支持强烈的分化，并恢复了五个地理组，分别对应于（1）北美，（2）欧洲加上北非和中东，（3）乌拉尔，中亚和俄罗斯西伯利亚，（4）东亚大陆， (5)日本列岛。有趣的是， L. umbrosa与L. d.归为一组。粳稻，引入的北美种群与同时代的欧洲种群表现出显着的独特性。除北美外，每个地理群体在单独分析时都显示出额外的低层结构，这为推断入侵标本的起源提供了基础。两种分配方法一致认为东亚大陆沿海地区是 2014 年至 2015 年亚洲入侵的主要来源，日本是另一个来源。 通过分析模拟和实验室杂交，我们进一步为太平洋西北部地区出现亚洲-北美自然杂交种提供了证据，引起了人们对亚洲等位基因渗入可能加速舞毒蛾在北美范围扩张的担忧。我们的研究展示了遗传数据如何有助于入侵物种的生物监测，其结果可以为监管管理提供信息并减少与贸易相关的入侵频率。