The animal world has all sorts of competition, but the most important competition of all is the survival of a species. How does the Bemisia tabaci, a whitefly, become the one of the most invasive pests in the world? Researchers embark on a quest to discover their secrets to success. The Bemisia tabaci species came to Australia and China in the 1990s through the importation of plants and ornamental things. It is considered to be one of the world’s worst agricultural pests, affecting many and varied kinds of crops and spreading viral infections from one plantation to the next. The result? Reduced crop yield, less income for farmers and crops that are below quality standards. Tomato farms in China suffered greatly, losing entire crops for the whole season because of the disease that the whiteflies transmit. China’s agriculture is far more fragile compared to other developing countries, so it is important for them to take a stand against these pests.

The new study, which was conducted in China and Australia, stated that behavior is an important factor when it comes to the whiteflies being so successful at animal invasion. As they studied the whiteflies under binocular zoom stereomicroscopes, they found that the mating behaviors of the invasive Bemisia tabaci are such that they tend to breed more with the native whiteflies, at the same time suppressing the native whiteflies’ rates of reproduction. This study deems important because the findings can be applied to pest management. An alien pest can be prevented from taking over native relatives, thus avoiding the total destruction of the native species. To study the alien whiteflies under the intense scrutiny of binocular zoom stereomicroscopes might be the key to understanding their growth and development to prevent them from wiping out the entire native species.

The researchers also performed a population study, where they simulated the displacement procedure on cotton plants in the laboratory. With high tech equipment like binocular zoom stereomicroscopes to study the movement of the insects, they recorded the growth and development of the pest as it interacted with the native whiteflies on the live plants. Their findings revealed that the invaders interfered with the copulation of the native males and females, resulting in the decrease of the native population while their own population continued to grow and take over. The invading males and females, although mated more with their own species, also courted and mated with the native species.

This kind of study is helpful especially in the agriculture business, not only in Australia and China but in other countries as well. The findings can be applied not only to whiteflies, but other kinds of pests and parasites that may be wreaking havoc on natural systems worldwide. This particular study, which was supported by the National Basic Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Education of China, CSIRO Entomology, Horticulture Australia, and the Grains and Cotton Research and Development Corporations, will be published online by the Science Express Website. Article link