title: Understanding the genetic, demographical and/or ecological processes at play in invasions: lessons from the southern cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae).
abstract: The southern cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, is the ixodid species causing the largest economic losses in tropical agrosystems because of its recurrent invasive success, explosive demography on bovine herds, vector competence for diverse pathogens and frequent development of acaricide resistance. Its ecology and the physiological bases of the acaricide resistances it developed, as well as alternative tick control measures, have been intensively studied for decades. By contrast, the tick population genetic structure and its remarkable ability to quickly adapt to new environments have not yet received much attention. We investigated such issues using population genetics analyses in the recently invaded island New Caledonia. In this paper we aim to describe some guidelines for acarologists willing to investigate the processes at play in Acari invasions. Particular emphasis is given to the accuracy of sampling designs and sampling scales for population genetics to be actually informative on the demographical processes of the species (i.e., its mating rules, the determinants of population limits, population sizes, the relationships between genetic exchanges and geographical distances and relevant ecological factors).
authors.affiliation: Maladies Infectieuses and Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution and Contrôle (MIVEGEC, UMR 5290 CNRS-Universités Montpellier I and II-IRD; UR IRD 224), Campus IRD, 911 av. Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. christine.chevillon@ird.fr
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chevillon
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Garine-Wichatitsky
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barré
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ducornez
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: de Meeûs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002417:Cattle / Q000469:parasitology*; D003670:Deer / Q000469:parasitology; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005828:Genetics, Population / Q000379:methods; D005843:Geography; D058507:Host Specificity; D058865:Introduced Species; D009510:New Caledonia; D048494:Rhipicephalus / Q000235:genetics*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013983:Tick Control