Host specialization is a ubiquitous character of phytophagous insects. The polyphagous population is usually composed of some subpopulations that can use only a few closely related plants. Cotton-melon aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover exhibited strong host specialization, and the cotton- and cucurbits-specialized biotypes had been clearly identified. However, the experimental work that addressed t...

Arthropods at the surface of plants live in particular microclimatic conditions that can differ from atmospheric conditions. The temperature of plant leaves can deviate from air temperature, and leaf temperature influences the eco-physiology of small insects. The activity of insects feeding on leaf tissues, may, however, induce changes in leaf surface temperatures, but this effect was only rare...

At least 15 species of aphids are now recognised as New Zealand natives and most of these are very likely to be endemic. Most native aphids belong in the subfamily Aphidinae (Aphidini), with a possible single species in Aphidinae-Macrosiphini, at least two in Neophyllaphidinae and one in Taiwanaphidinae. With one exception, native aphids are restricted to a single host plant genus, and these ho...

Aphids are a serious threat to agriculture, despite being a rather small group of insects. The about 4,000 species worldwide engage in highly interesting and complex relationships with their microbial fauna. One of the key symbionts in arthropods is Wolbachia, an α-Proteobacterium implicated in many important biological processes and believed to be a potential tool for biological control. Aphid...

Many insects carry facultative bacterial symbionts, which provide benefits including resistance to natural enemies and abiotic stresses. Little is known about how these beneficial phenotypes are affected when biotic or abiotic threats occur simultaneously. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) can host several well-characterized symbiont species. The symbiont known as X-type can protect against b...

The aphid-ant mutualistic relationships are not necessarily obligate for neither partners but evidence is that such interactions provide them strong advantages in terms of global fitness. While it is largely assumed that ants actively search for their mutualistic partners namely using volatile cues; whether winged aphids (i.e., aphids' most mobile form) are able to select ant-frequented areas h...

The effect of weeds, plant diseases and insect pests on spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain nutrient yield was examined. Long-term field trial data used to assess the impact different yield. In absence pesticides, fungal caused largest annual yield-reduction in barley, 500 kg ha?1 average. Converting loss this represented reductions 8.1 9.2 nitrogen 1.5 1.6 phosphoru...

Reply How to investigate a putative signal? Stick to the right method when assessing the response of a receiver The evolution of autumn leaf coloration moved into the focus of ecologists after the seminal publication by Hamilton & Brown (2001). In that article, Hamilton & Brown proposed the coevolutionary hypothesis, suggesting that red and yellow leaves in autumn evolved as warning signals to ...

BACKGROUND Sap sucking hemipteran aphids damage diverse crop species. Although delivery of ds-RNA or siRNA through microinjection/feeding has been demonstrated, the efficacy of host-mediated delivery of aphid-specific dsRNA in developing aphid resistance has been far from being elucidated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Transgenic Arabidopsis expressing ds-RNA of Myzus persicae serine proteas...