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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Methods for Rearing the Parasitoid Ganaspis brasiliensis, a Promising Biological Control Agent for the Invasive Drosophila suzukii

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Environmental adaptation in an asexual invasive insect.

Jeffrey A Lombardo¹, Joseph S Elkinton¹

¹Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA.

Ecology and Evolution

|August 4, 2017

Summary

Asexual insects like the hemlock woolly adelgid show genetic adaptation to cold. This adaptation allows invasive species to survive in diverse climates, challenging assumptions about asexual reproduction.

Keywords:

adaptation cold hardiness hemlock woolly adelgid invasive species parthenogenesis supercooling

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Entomology

Background:

Parthenogenetic reproduction typically limits genetic variation, potentially hindering adaptation in invasive species.
The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is an invasive, asexual insect that has colonized diverse thermal environments.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if observed variations in cold hardiness among hemlock woolly adelgid populations are genetically based adaptations.
To test the hypothesis that northern populations have adapted to colder climates.

Main Methods:

Collected hemlock woolly adelgid from various locations across their invaded range.
Reared progeny in a common thermal environment to control for environmental influences.
Measured the supercooling point (SCP) of both source populations and progeny to assess cold hardiness.

Main Results:

Significant differences in supercooling points were observed among geographically distinct populations.
These differences persisted even when adelgids were reared in a common environment, indicating a genetic basis.
Northern populations exhibited greater cold hardiness, supporting adaptive evolution.

Conclusions:

The variation in cold hardiness among hemlock woolly adelgid populations is genetically determined.
This genetic adaptation allows the invasive insect to thrive across a wide thermal gradient.
Findings challenge the notion that asexual reproduction inherently limits the adaptive potential of invasive species.