Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 30, 2026
A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
Use of microsatellite and SNP markers for biotype characterization in Hessian fly
Brandon J Schemerhorn1, Yan Ma Crane2, Sue E Cambron2
1USDA-ARS, Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit, West Lafayette, IN 47907 Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 Corresponding author,
Abstract:
Exploration of the biotype structure of Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), would improve our knowledge regarding variation in virulence phenotypes and difference in genetic background. Microsatellites (simple sequence repeats) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are highly variable genetic markers that are widely used in population genetic studies. This study developed and tested a panel of 18 microsatellite and 22 SNP markers to investigate the genetic structure of nine Hessian fly biotypes: B, C, D, E, GP, L, O, vH9, and vH13. The simple sequence repeats were more polymorphic than the SNP markers, and their neighbor-joining trees differed in consequence. Microsatellites suggested a simple geographic association of related biotypes that did not progressively gain virulence with increasing genetic distance from a founder type. Use of the k-means clustering algorithm in the STRUCTURE program shows that the nine biotypes comprise six to eight populations that are related to geography or history within laboratory cultures.
