Butterfly invasion goes hand in hand with gene loss
Published: Wednesday, Sep 25th 2024, 12:00
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The Karst white butterfly is spreading invasively throughout Europe. According to a new study by the University of Basel, this invasion has been accompanied by a major genetic loss within the species.
A large part of the original genetic material of the local populations has now been replaced by that of the population that has spread, the University of Basel announced on Wednesday. The individual Karstweisslings are therefore genetically much more similar than they were before the invasion began.
The researchers led by Daniel Berner from the University of Basel came to this conclusion by comparing today's karst whiting with museum specimens. The results were published in the journal "Current Biology".
Genetic diversity within a species is an important measure for experts, as species with greater genetic diversity are more resistant to disease, can adapt better to changing environmental conditions and therefore generally maintain more stable populations in the long term.
Spread since 2005
Thanks to the strong spread, however, karst whitefish are much more numerous overall than before their invasion, which generally reduces their risk of extinction, according to the University of Basel.
Until a few years ago, there were only a few small local populations of the small white butterflies in Valais and Ticino. They were rarely found north of the Alps. Since 2005, however, the species has been spreading rapidly.
As the species largely uses man-made habitats in the newly colonized area, competition with native butterflies is not to be expected, according to the university.
©Keystone/SDA
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