Invasive Pests: Bionomics, Damage, and Management

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 653

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China
Interests: RNA epigenetic; phenotypic plasticity; biological characteristics; Solenopsis invicta; Invasive Pests

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Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: invasive insects; Tephritidae; chemical ecology; reproduction behavior; insect–symbiont interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological invasions impose severe impacts on ecosystems, economic development, and human health. As a critically important group of invasive animals, insects have caused numerous major invasion events globally. Many invasive insect species continue to expand their ranges, causing novel damage in different regions worldwide. These non-native pests frequently outcompete indigenous species in new environments through mechanisms such as the enemy release hypothesis and phenotypic plasticity. Delving into the invasion mechanisms and ecological consequences of these invasive insect species holds dual significance: it not only aids in the early prediction and monitoring of outbreak trends but also provides the theoretical foundation for developing precise and eco-friendly control strategies. Research or review articles on the following topics are welcome:
  • Early Detection and Risk Assessment: Novel tools (e.g., AI-driven monitoring, remote sensing) and modeling frameworks for rapid response.
  • Sustainable Control: Eco-friendly methods such as biocontrol, RNA interference, and sterile insect techniques.
  • Invasive Mechanisms: Genomic insights into invasion success and adaptive evolution.
  • Emerging Mechanisms: Exploiting insect–host interactions, microbiome symbiosis, or chemical ecology for targeted interventions.

Dr. Jie Chen
Prof. Dr. Daifeng Cheng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • invasive insects
  • early detection
  • surveillance methods
  • risk analysis
  • biological characteristics
  • sustainable control

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

14 pages, 1146 KB  
Review
Thermal Adaptation in Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae): From Interspecific Competition to Mechanisms
by Ya-Wen Chang, Jing-Ya Zhao, Yu-Cheng Wang and Yu-Zhou Du
Insects 2025, 16(9), 957; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16090957 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 438
Abstract
Global climate change has intensified temperature fluctuations, significantly impacting insect populations. Thermal tolerance has emerged as a critical determinant of species distribution and invasion potential. Liriomyza trifolii, an economically important invasive pest, has been rapidly expanding in southeastern coastal regions of China, [...] Read more.
Global climate change has intensified temperature fluctuations, significantly impacting insect populations. Thermal tolerance has emerged as a critical determinant of species distribution and invasion potential. Liriomyza trifolii, an economically important invasive pest, has been rapidly expanding in southeastern coastal regions of China, gradually displacing its congeners L. sativae and L. huidobrensis. This competitive advantage is closely associated with its superior thermal adaptation strategies. Here, we first examine the temperature-mediated competitive dominance of L. trifolii, then systematically elucidate the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying its temperature tolerance, revealing its survival strategies under extreme temperatures. Notably, L. trifolii exhibits a lower developmental threshold temperature and higher thermal constant, extending its damage period, while its significantly lower supercooling point confers exceptional overwintering capacity. Physiologically, rapid cold hardening (RCH) enhances cold tolerance through glycerol accumulation and increased fatty acid unsaturation, while heat acclimation improves thermotolerance via a trade-off between developmental processes and reproductive investment. Molecular analyses demonstrate that L. trifolii combines the low-temperature inducible characteristics of L. huidobrensis with the high-temperature responsive advantages of L. sativae in heat shock protein (Hsp) expression patterns. Transcriptomic studies further identify differential expressions of lipid metabolism and chaperone-related genes as key to thermal adaptation. Current research limitations include incomplete understanding of non-Hsp gene regulatory networks and laboratory–field adaptation discrepancies. Future studies should integrate multi-omics approaches with ecological modeling to predict L. trifolii’s expansion under climate change scenarios and develop temperature-based green control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Invasive Pests: Bionomics, Damage, and Management)
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