The evolutionary potential of an insect invader under climate change

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Climate change and invasive species impacts are often studied separately, yet they interact to affect population viability.
• Invasive species possess high adaptive capacity, succeeding outside native ranges.
• The genetic basis of thermal niche evolution is crucial for understanding climate change adaptation but remains unmeasured in invasive species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the genetic architecture of thermal performance in an invasive species, the harlequin beetle (Harmonia axyridis).
• To determine the heritability and genetic correlations underlying thermal performance and critical thermal limits.
• To assess the evolutionary capacity of invasive species to adapt to climate change.

Main Methods:

• Measured thermal performance curves in over 400 third-generation offspring of harlequin beetles.
• Utilized a paternal half-sib breeding experiment.
• Analyzed the genetic variance-covariance matrix to estimate genetic parameters.

Main Results:

• Critical thermal limits of the harlequin beetle exhibit an additive genetic basis.
• Most components of the thermal performance curve show low heritability.
• Genetic correlations suggest potential constraints on the evolution of thermal tolerance in response to climate change.

Conclusions:

• Invasive species may have limited evolutionary potential to adapt to climate change, despite their success in colonizing new environments.
• Understanding the genetic architecture of thermal performance is key to predicting species' responses to global change.
• Interactions between invasive species and climate change require further investigation.