BAW Population Genetics

The bertha armyworm (BAW), Mamestra configurata Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctudidae), is one of the major insect pests of canola, Brassica napus L. and B. rapa L. (Brassicaceae), in western Canada. Across western Canada, M. configurata populations appear to be cyclic, with major regional outbreaks occurring every 6-8 years and lasting up to 4 years. It is not known whether the expanding distributions of populations in progressive years of the outbreak cycle result from the migration of founding moth populations from epicenters of resurgence or are simply the result of a general increase in abundance of resident populations across its geographic range from one year to the next. The aims of this project were to generate a panel of SNP markers to investigate BAW genetic diversity and possible population structure of BAW across it geographic range in western North America, and to determine whether long term BAW laboratory colonies reflect the genetic content of wild BAW populations.