Population genetics of Chrysomela tremulae:: a first step towards management of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis poplars Populus tremula X P-tremuloides

Many strategies have been proposed for delaying the development of insect resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The current paradigm for Bt resistance management is the high dose-refuge strategy. For this strategy to be successful: (i) heterozygotes must be killed in treated areas, (ii) resistant alleles must be rare (frequency < 10-3), and (iii) there must be a high level of gene flow between populations to ensure random mating. We studied gene flow within and between populations with a view to managing the resistance of Chrysomela tremulae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to new transgenic, highly toxic poplars expressing a synthetic Br gene. In this study, we assessed the extent of gene flow in C. tremulae within and between 16 sites in France and Belgium, using allozyme markers. We found a high level of genetic variability in C, tremulae, with a mean of 0.206<plus/minus>0.16. There were no obvious limitations to gene flow between populations of C. tremulae over large geographical distances (several hundreds of kilometres). Nevertheless, a very low level of genetic differentiation was observed between a site located in the south of France and the sampled sites from the Centre region.