Abstract: The ecological processes and mechanisms of alien species invasion are important parts of invasion biology. The case study of ecological processes and mechanisms of invasion of the important alien species is of significance to the construction of invasion biology discipline and the management of the invasive species as well. The case study of the alien species in China, however, was rather scarce till the present. The systematic study of an important alien whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype Q, in China during the past 10 years has provided an excellent chance for us to analyze the ecological processes and mechanisms of the alien species invasion. In this article, the ecological processes of B. tabaci biotype Q in China during the past 10 years are traced, the characteristics of its invasion processes are summarized, the invasion mechanisms of the pest is analyzed from the viewpoint of genetic structure of invasive populations, biological factors and human activities, and the future research directions of invasion biology of B. tabaci biotype Q are also prospected. We conclude that there are three main characteristics of the invasion processes of biotype Q in China: the introduction was cryptic, the spread speed was fast, and the damage was severe. The mechanisms of invasion of biotype Q in China are associated with the genetic basis of the introduced populations, the ecological factors and a variety of human activities. Among them, the wide application of insecticides, which is beneficial to the displacement of biotype B by Q, might be the most important factor involved in the successful invasion of biotype Q in China.

Key words: Bemisia tabaci biotype Q, biological invasion, invasion biology, ecological processes, invasion mechanism