A genetic study shows that all specimens of this dangerous species share a common ancestor
Only twenty years ago, Europe had never seen an Asian hornet in its territory, but now, according to scientists and farmers, is species has become a veritable plague. The nests of these insects have already been detected in a dozen European countries. In Spain, in the last ten years this invasive species has been detected in more than twenty provinces (especially in the north of the Iberian Peninsula). Experts warn that these animals are large predators of other insects, can alter ecosystems Y pose a danger to people. But how did this plague start?
Everything points to the Asian hornet infestation in Europe started from a single specimen: a impregnated queen which in 2004 arrived at the port of Bordeaux, in France, on a merchant ship from Asia. East specimen of ‘Vespa velutina’, once it reached solid ground, it began to build a nest, laid its eggs and, from there, its offspring sprouted. The species went from having a single individual on European soil to multiply exponentially in a matter of days. And according to a new study from the University College Cork of Ireland, all Asian hornets detected in Europe since then have to do with that first queen emigrated to France.
genetic test
The research, published this week in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, presents a detailed genetic examination of an asian wasp Found in Ireland. Its about unique copy so far identified in the country. His discovery, in April 2021, surprised the scientific community since it was not clear how this animal had arrived to the Irish capital. For this reason, the insect was transferred to the National Museum of Ireland and underwent a detailed genetic study to determine its origin.
After sequencing the insect’s DNA and compare it with that of other Asian wasps identified in Europe, the researchers concluded that that all copies of this species located on European soil share kinship. They all come from the lineage of that very first ‘V. velutina’ who arrived in Bordeaux eighteen years ago. According to Simon Harrison, one of the scientists who led this study, the case of the asian hornet shows how an invasive species can become a pest “despite extremely low genetic diversity”.
same pedigree
It is not the first time that the scientific community points to this already famous Asian hornet as the origin of the European plague of these insects. In fact, there are already several genetic studies that show that, for now, this invasive species belongs to the same pedigree. “Previous studies had tracked the common origin of these insects from single gene analysis. Now, thanks to this new study, we have tracked down two additional genes and we have been able to show that Asian hornets in Europe apparently shared the same genetic lineage,” explains researcher Eileen Dillane, one of the experts who led this work.
This phenomenon, according to experts, is good news and bad news at the same time. The bad news is that, seen what has been seen, the eradication of this pest is especially complicated because even if the nests are destroyed, only one fertile queen is needed for hundreds of specimens to sprout again. The good news, as the authors of this latest study point out, is that “the close relationship of all individualss of the Asian hornet in Europe offers hope for eradication methods based on biological control“. That is, in formulas specifically designed to annihilate this invasive species without affecting the others that swarm through the ecosystem.
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