More and more animal and plant species are introduced outside their natural geographic range due to the increase in trade in the world. Insects are not an exception. Some of them are able to settle in their new environment and to develop large populations, disrupting in this way the functioning of ecosystems, and reducing the diversity of native species. These species are called invasive alien species.
Exotic and invasive insects species are also studied at the Functional and Evolutionary Entomology Unit. Particular attention is paid on alien species that impact directly or indirectly on agricultural production.
Amongst the species under study:
The Asian Lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis
The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta
The walnut husk fly, Rhagoletis completa
