Population genomics of the invasive Northern Giant Hornet Vespa mandarinia in North America and across its native range

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 10803
• Main Authors: Taylor, Benjamin A., Tembrock, Luke R., Sankovitz, Madison, Wilson, Telissa M., Looney, Chris, Takahashi, Junichi, Gilligan, Todd M., Smith-Pardo, Allan H., Harpur, Brock A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.05.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/208/457; 631/601/1466; 704/158/2178; Animals; Bees; Genetic diversity; Genetic Variation; Genetics, Population; Genome, Insect; Genomes; Genomics; Genomics - methods; Humanities and Social Sciences; Inbreeding; Inbreeding depression; Indigenous species; Introduced Species; Invasive species; multidisciplinary; North America; Population studies; Predation; Predators; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Vespa mandarinia; Wasps - genetics; North America
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61534-0

The northern giant hornet Vespa mandarinia (NGH) is a voracious predator of other insect species, including honey bees. NGH’s native range spans subtropical and temperate regions across much of east and southeast Asia and, in 2019, exotic populations of the species were discovered in North America. Despite this broad range and invasive potential, investigation of the population genomic structure of NGH across its native and introduced ranges has thus far been limited to a small number of mitochondrial samples. Here, we present analyses of genomic data from NGH individuals collected across the species’ native range and from exotic individuals collected in North America. We provide the first survey of whole-genome population variation for any hornet species, covering this species’ native and invasive ranges, and in doing so confirm likely origins in Japan and South Korea for the two introductions. We additionally show that, while this introduced population exhibited strongly elevated levels of inbreeding, these signatures of inbreeding are also present in some long-standing native populations, which may indicate that inbreeding depression alone is insufficient to prevent the persistence of NGH populations. As well as highlighting the importance of ongoing monitoring and eradication efforts to limit the spread of this species outside of its natural range, our data will serve as a foundational database for future genomic studies into introduced hornet populations.