Case Study 1: Olive Fruit Fly (Bactrocera oleae)
Case Study 1: Olive Fruit Fly (Bactrocera oleae)
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Population genetics/dynamicsMerle Preu, Johannes L. Frieß, Broder Breckling and Winfried Schröder, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae is a phytophagous insect associated to olive trees (Olea europaea, Oleaceae). Its larvae monophagously feed on olive fruits, the fly is therefore considered the most severe pest of olive cultivation causing tremendous economic losses. The olive fly therefore poses a good example of a potential target organism in a European context. This case study revealed that uncertainties exist with regard to the dispersal capacity of gene drive-bearing olive flies, as well as concerning the high gene flow between different populations and most importantly with regard to the population bottlenecks that regularly occur in winter. These would significantly increase or decrease genetic variability between subpopulations and thereby severely jeopardize the intended outcome of any SPAGE-application.
