ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the importance of population genetic divergence and implications for biological control. The genetic structure of populations within any species may change as a result of a variety of evolutionary factors. Because of the complexity of patterns of genetic variation in field populations and the analytical limitation of any single technique, the use of a combination of different techniques becomes desirable. Tabachnick and Wallis attributed A. aegypti heterogeneity between islands to the fluctuations in population size resulting from sporadic A. aegypti control programs. The genetic differentiation between populations and species is the result of the interaction of random chance, mutation, migration, and natural selection. Studies of the laboratory hybridization between different populations provide a test of genetic affinities. Numerous studies have shown that levels of intraspecies genetic variation vary considerably between species and between populations within species.
