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Dryad

Low genetic variability in Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 populations within farmscapes of Georgia, USA

Cite this dataset

Gautam, Saurabh; Srinivasan, Rajagopalbabu (2021). Low genetic variability in Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 populations within farmscapes of Georgia, USA [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xgxd254f7

Abstract

Sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, is a serious pest of many agricultural crops worldwide. Numerous studies have examined the genetic structure of whitefly populations separated by geographical barriers; however, very few have assessed the population structure of B. tabaci at a farmscape level. A farmscape in this study is defined as heterogenous habitat with crop and non-crop areas spanning about 8 square kilometers. To assess the roles of farmscapes as drivers of B. tabaci genetic variations, thirty-five populations of the sweetpotato whitefly were collected from crop and non-crop plant species from fifteen farmscapes. Using mitochondrial COI gene sequences (mtCOI) and six nuclear microsatellite markers, the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation among collected B. tabaci MEAM1 populations were examined. Haplotype analysis using mtCOI sequences revealed the presence of a single B. tabaci MEAM1 haplotype across farmscapes of Georgia. Results from microsatellite markers further showed no significant genetic structuring among populations that corresponded to plant species or farmscapes from which they were collected. Annual whitefly population explosions and subsequent dispersal might have facilitated the presence of a single panmictic B. tabaci population over all sampled farmscapes in this region.