Genetic structure of cherry fruit fly (<i><scp>R</scp>hagoletis cingulata</i>) populations across managed, unmanaged, and natural habitats

Abstract

Abstract The cherry fruit fly ( CFF ), R hagoletis cingulata L oew ( D iptera: T ephritidae: T rypetini), is endemic to eastern N orth A merica and M exico, where its primary native host is black cherry [ P runus serotina E hrh. ( R osaceae)]. Cherry fruit fly is also a major economic pest of the fruit of cultivated sweet ( P runus avium L .) and tart ( P runus cerasus L .) cherries. Adult CFF that attack wild black cherry and introduced, domesticated cherries in commercial and abandoned orchards are active at different times of the summer, potentially generating allochronic isolation that could genetically differentiate native from sweet and tart CFF populations. Here, we test for host‐related genetic differences among CFF populations in M ichigan attacking cherries in managed, unmanaged, and native habitats by scoring flies for 10 microsatellite loci. Little evidence for genetic differentiation was found across the three habitats or between the northern and southern Michigan CFF populations surveyed in the study. Local gene flow between native black cherry, commercial, and abandoned orchards may therefore be sufficient to overcome seasonal differences in adult CFF activity and prevent differentiation for microsatellites not directly associated with (tightly linked to) genes affecting eclosion time. The results do not support the existence of host‐associated races in CFF and imply that flies attacking native, managed, and unmanaged cherries should be considered to represent a single population for pest management purposes.