Differences in insect resistance between tomato species endemic to the Galapagos Islands

Research on tomato species endemic to the Galápagos Islands reveals that Solanum galapagense exhibits resistance to the phloem-feeding whitefly Bemisia tabaci, likely due to high levels of acyl sugars and specific glandular trichomes. This resistance was not observed in S. cheesmaniae, suggesting that these two species may represent morphotypes rather than distinct biological species. Genetic analysis using SNP markers failed to differentiate between the two, further supporting their potential classification as a single species shaped by selective pressures. The study used no-choice experiments with 35 tomato accessions and analyzed climatic, geographical, and molecular data to explore this hypothesis.

Lucatti, A. F., van Heusden, A. W., de Vos, R. C., Visser, R. G., & Vosman, B. (2013). Differences in insect resistance between tomato species endemic to the Galapagos Islands. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-13-175