Genetic Diversity of Oak Curculio, Curculio glandium (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Among Geographical Populations in Southwestern Iran

Persian oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) is one of the most essential woody species of the Zagros forests in Iran. Among the species of insects that attack acorns, the most common is Curculio glandium Marsh. In this study, the variability of Curculio glandium populations in South Western forests of Iran was evaluated by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. A total of 105 trees were sampled from 21 populations representing seven regions in the three provinces of Khuzestan (regions GOL, EMA, BAB, MOG and ALG), Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari (region MON) and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad (region DIS) of Iran. An analysis of molecular variance revealed that most genetic variation was confined within populations (88%), differences among populations account 5% and only 7% is attributed to variation among regions. Three regions of Khuzestan (EMA/ALG/MOG) have a similar genetic structure. This is also observed in the regions of MON and GOL. In addition, regions DIS and BAB have the same genetic structure. Two gene pools were identified in all regions, but further sampling is necessary to test for genetic variation and gene flow among these regions. Population genetic information can provide critical insights into range expansion and evolutionary potential to adapt to environmental changes, such as host shift and agricultural management changes.