TOEPFER , Stefan

The North American western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was introduced into Europe several times during the end of the 20 th century. Outbreaks in northwestern Italy (NW Italian) and central and southeastern Europe (CSE European) have merged in 2008 and insects interbreed since then. This...

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The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most destructive pests of corn in North America and is currently invading Europe. The two major invasive outbreaks of rootworm in Europe have occurred, in North-West Italy and in Central and South-Eastern Europe. These two outbreaks originated...

Many invasive species undergo a significant reduction in genetic diversity, i.e. a genetic bottleneck, in the early stages of invasion. However, this reduction does not necessarily prevent them from achieving considerable ecological success and becoming highly efficient colonizers. Here we tested the so-called purge hypothesis, which suggests...

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