Mechanisms that influence sex ratio variation in the invasive hymenopteran Sirex noctilio in South Africa

Sirex noctilio is an economically important invasive pest of commercial pine forestry in the Southern Hemisphere. Newly established invasive populations of this woodwasp are characterised by highly male-biased sex ratios that subsequently revert to those seen in the native range. This trend was not observed in the population of S. noctilio from the summer rainfall regions in South Africa, which remained highly male-biased for almost a decade. The aim of this study was to determine the cause of this persistent male-bias. As explanation for this pattern we test hypotheses related to mating success, female investment in male versus female offspring and genetic diversity affecting diploid male production due to complementary sex determination. We found that 61% of females in a newly established S. noctilio population were mated. Microsatellite data analysis showed that populations of S. noctilio from the summer rainfall regions in South Africa are far less genetically diverse than those fro...