Topic: Inferring population flows of the invasive pest Bactrocera dorsalis, to support management and monitoring
Dates: 26 January 2026 – 25 January 2029
CBGP supervisors: M.P. Chapuis & A. Estoup

The Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) has emerged as a major pest for fruit growing in the areas it has invaded (Africa) and a persistent threat to priority quarantine zones (Mediterranean coastal regions, including the Occitanie region). The collection of genomic and population ecology data at multiple scales across the African continent, combined with expertise in innovative modelling, offers the opportunity to understand the historical (geographical pathways) and ecological (population flows) factors that have facilitated this bioinvasion.

We will incorporate evolutionary (interspecific hybridisation) and ecological (wind patterns) processes into population models; these are rarely taken into account despite their impact on invasive success. This work will help to optimise management strategies (scaling up, innovation) and also to assess the risks of establishment and guide monitoring in threatened areas.