Abstract

The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc.), is an economic pest of potatoes and other solanaceous crops, and the vector of the causal agent of zebra chip disease. The expanded distribution of the potato psyllid has resulted in the differentiation of biotypes (central and western), and haplotypes (southwestern and northwestern), according to analysis of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI). In this study, the nearly complete (part of the control region unsequenced) mitochondrial genome from potato psyllid populations occurring in North America: Texas, Nebraska, California, Washington, northwest (Washington) and southwest (Arizona), were sequenced using next generation sequencing technology. The raw sequences files were assembled using Geneious and annotated with the software MITOS, DOGMA, ARWEN and NCBI ORF finder tool. The resulting mitochondrial genomes were studied for genome composition, organization and phylogenetic analysis. The gene content of the potato psyllid mitochondrial genomes included: 2 ribosomal RNAs, the 22 tRNAs and 13 protein coding genes. Through analysis of the nearly complete mitochondrial genome, potato psyllid populations from the central biotype (Texas and Nebraska) and the southwestern haplotype were determined to be most closely related. Divergent from this clade were the Washington and California populations (western biotype), and the northwestern haplotype seems to be a new population. Importantly, analysis from single mitochondrial genes (COI, COIII, and ATP6) inferred the same phylogeny as one based on the whole mt genome. Moreover, the insecticide resistance gene cytochrome P45O4G had variations among populations that may be useful for future population genetic and phylogenetic studies.

Date of publication

Spring 7-1-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/295

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