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Novotny JL, Goodell K. Utility of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes for inferring wild bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) use of adjacent foraging habitats. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271095. [PMID: 35830429 PMCID: PMC9278760 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Isotope analysis has proven useful for understanding diets of animals that are difficult to track for extended periods. Bees are small yet highly mobile and often forage from multiple habitats. However, current methods of assessing diet are limited in scope. Efficient methods of tracking bee diets that integrate across life stages, distinguish habitat use, and are sensitive to taxonomic differences will inform conservation strategies. We evaluated the utility of stable isotope analysis for estimating contributions of adjacent habitats to bees’ diets. We also investigated taxonomic variation in bee and flower isotope composition. We measured natural abundance of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in two body regions from three wild bee genera, as well as in 25 species of flowers that likely comprised their diets. Bee ∂13C and ∂15N varied with habitat and taxonomic groups (conflated with month), but did not match spatial or seasonal trends in their food plants. Flower ∂13C was lowest in the forest and in April–June, as expected if driven by water availability. However, bee ∂13C was elevated in the spring, likely from overwintering nutritional stress or unpredictable food availability. Bumble bees (Bombus) were enriched in ∂15N compared to others, possibly reflecting differences in larval feeding. Bee diet mixing models had high variation and should be interpreted with caution. Models estimated similar habitat contributions to diets of spring Andrena and overwintered Bombus queens. Summer Bombus queens and workers were indistinguishable. Sweat bees (Halictus) were estimated to use comparatively more field flowers than others. Overall, taxon more strongly influenced isotope composition than either foraging habitat or month, likely because of associated differences in sociality and timing of annual activity. Future studies seeking to reveal bee diets by isotope analysis may gain better resolution in more isotopically distinct habitats, in conjunction with controlled feeding or isotope labeling experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie Lanterman Novotny
- Department of Biology, Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Newark, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Karen Goodell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Newark, Ohio, United States of America
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Balzani P, Vizzini S, Frizzi F, Masoni A, Lessard J, Bernasconi C, Francoeur A, Ibarra‐Isassi J, Brassard F, Cherix D, Santini G. Plasticity in the trophic niche of an invasive ant explains establishment success and long‐term coexistence. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Paride Balzani
- Dept of Biology, Univ. of Florence Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Salvatrice Vizzini
- Dept of Earth and Marine Sciences, Univ. of Palermo, CoNISMa Palermo Italy
- CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare Roma Italy
| | - Filippo Frizzi
- Dept of Biology, Univ. of Florence Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Alberto Masoni
- Dept of Biology, Univ. of Florence Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | | | | | - André Francoeur
- Dept of Biology, Univ. of Quebec at Chicoutimi Chicoutimi QC Canada
| | | | | | - Daniel Cherix
- Dept of Ecology and Evolution, Univ. of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
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Helms JA, Roeder KA, Ijelu SE, Ratcliff I, Haddad NM. Bioenergy landscapes drive trophic shifts in generalist ants. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:738-750. [PMID: 33314089 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Changes in trophic niche-the pathways through which an organism obtains energy and nutrients-are a fundamental way in which organisms respond to environmental conditions. But the capacity for species to alter their trophic niches in response to global change, and the ways they do so when able, remain largely unknown. Here we examine food webs in three long-term and large-scale experiments to test how resource availability and nutritional requirements interact to determine an organism's trophic niche in the context of one of the largest global trends in land use-the rise in bioenergy production. We use carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses to characterize arthropod food webs across three biofuel crops representing a gradient in plant resource richness (corn monocultures, fields dominated by native switchgrass and restored prairie), and to quantify changes in the trophic niche of a widespread generalist ant species across habitats. In doing so, we measure the effects of basal resource richness on food chain length, niche breadth and trophic position. We frame our results in the context of two hypotheses that explain variation in trophic niche-the niche variation hypothesis which emphasizes the importance of resource diversity and ecological opportunity, and the optimal diet hypothesis which emphasizes dietary constraints and the availability of optimal resources. Increasing plant richness lengthened food chains by 10%-20% compared to monocultures. Niche breadths of generalist ants did not vary with resource richness, suggesting they were limited by optimal diet requirements and constraints rather than by ecological opportunity. The ants instead responded to changes in plant richness by shifting their estimated trophic position. In resource-poor monocultures, the ants were top predators, sharing a trophic position with predatory spiders. In resource-rich environments, in contrast, the ants were omnivores, relying on a mix of animal prey and plant-based resources. In addition to highlighting novel ecosystem impacts of alternate bioenergy landscapes, our results suggest that niche breadth and trophic diversification depend more on the presence of optimal resources than on ecological opportunity alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson A Helms
- Kellogg Biological Station, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | - Karl A Roeder
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | | | | | - Nick M Haddad
- Kellogg Biological Station, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
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Simon AL, Wellham PAD, Aradottir GI, Gange AC. Unravelling mycorrhiza-induced wheat susceptibility to the English grain aphid Sitobion avenae. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46497. [PMID: 28406246 PMCID: PMC5390270 DOI: 10.1038/srep46497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are root symbionts that can increase or decrease aphid growth rates and reproduction, but the reason by which this happens is unknown. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of this interaction, we examined the effect of AM fungi on the English Grain aphid (Sitobion avenae) development, reproduction, attraction, settlement and feeding behaviour on two naturally susceptible varieties Triticum aestivum (L.) variety Solstice and T. monococcum MDR037, and two naturally resistant lines, T. monococcum MDR045 and MDR049. Mycorrhizal colonisation increased the attractiveness of T. aestivum var. Solstice to aphids, but there was no effect on aphid development on this variety. Using the Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG) technique, we found that mycorrhizal colonisation increased aphid phloem feeding on T. monococcum MDR037 and MDR045, colonisation also increased growth rate and reproductive success of S. avenae on these varieties. Mycorrhizas increased vascular bundle size, demonstrating that these fungi can influence plant anatomy. We discuss if and how this could be related to an enhanced success rate in phloem feeding in two varieties. Overall, we present and discuss how mycorrhizal fungi can affect the feeding behaviour of S. avenae in wheat, inducing susceptibility in a resistant variety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amma L. Simon
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | | | - Gudbjorg I. Aradottir
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Alan C. Gange
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
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Roeder KA, Kaspari M. From cryptic herbivore to predator: stable isotopes reveal consistent variability in trophic levels in an ant population. Ecology 2017; 98:297-303. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Revised: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karl A. Roeder
- Department of Biology; Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Oklahoma; 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314 Norman Oklahoma 73019 USA
| | - Michael Kaspari
- Department of Biology; Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Oklahoma; 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314 Norman Oklahoma 73019 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Balboa Panama
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Lievens B, Hallsworth JE, Pozo MI, Belgacem ZB, Stevenson A, Willems KA, Jacquemyn H. Microbiology of sugar-rich environments: diversity, ecology and system constraints. Environ Microbiol 2014; 17:278-98. [PMID: 25041632 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2014] [Revised: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 07/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Microbial habitats that contain an excess of carbohydrate in the form of sugar are widespread in the microbial biosphere. Depending on the type of sugar, prevailing water activity and other substances present, sugar-rich environments can be highly dynamic or relatively stable, osmotically stressful, and/or destabilizing for macromolecular systems, and can thereby strongly impact the microbial ecology. Here, we review the microbiology of different high-sugar habitats, including their microbial diversity and physicochemical parameters, which act to impact microbial community assembly and constrain the ecosystem. Saturated sugar beet juice and floral nectar are used as case studies to explore the differences between the microbial ecologies of low and higher water-activity habitats respectively. Nectar is a paradigm of an open, dynamic and biodiverse habitat populated by many microbial taxa, often yeasts and bacteria such as, amongst many others, Metschnikowia spp. and Acinetobacter spp., respectively. By contrast, thick juice is a relatively stable, species-poor habitat and is typically dominated by a single, xerotolerant bacterium (Tetragenococcus halophilus). A number of high-sugar habitats contain chaotropic solutes (e.g. ethyl acetate, phenols, ethanol, fructose and glycerol) and hydrophobic stressors (e.g. ethyl octanoate, hexane, octanol and isoamyl acetate), all of which can induce chaotropicity-mediated stresses that inhibit or prevent multiplication of microbes. Additionally, temperature, pH, nutrition, microbial dispersion and habitat history can determine or constrain the microbiology of high-sugar milieux. Findings are discussed in relation to a number of unanswered scientific questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Lievens
- Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME&BIM), Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, B-2860, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
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Traugott M, Kamenova S, Ruess L, Seeber J, Plantegenest M. Empirically Characterising Trophic Networks. ADV ECOL RES 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-420002-9.00003-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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8
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MENZEL FLORIAN, STAAB MICHAEL, CHUNG ARTHURYC, GEBAUER GERHARD, BLÜTHGEN NICO. Trophic ecology of parabiotic ants: Do the partners have similar food niches? AUSTRAL ECOL 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2011.02290.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Wilson ACC, Sternberg LDSL, Hurley KB. Aphids alter host-plant nitrogen isotope fractionation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:10220-4. [PMID: 21646532 PMCID: PMC3121841 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1007065108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant sap-feeding insects and blood-feeding parasites are frequently depleted in (15)N relative to their diet. Unfortunately, most fluid-feeder/host nitrogen stable-isotope studies simply report stable-isotope signatures, but few attempt to elucidate the mechanism of isotopic trophic depletion. Here we address this deficit by investigating the nitrogen stable-isotope dynamics of a fluid-feeding herbivore-host plant system: the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, feeding on multiple brassicaceous host plants. M. persicae was consistently more than 6‰ depleted in (15)N relative to their hosts, although aphid colonized plants were 1.5‰ to 2.0‰ enriched in (15)N relative to uncolonized control plants. Isotopic depletion of aphids relative to hosts was strongly related to host nitrogen content. We tested whether the concomitant aphid (15)N depletion and host (15)N enrichment was coupled by isotopic mass balance and determined that aphid (15)N depletion and host (15)N enrichment are uncoupled processes. We hypothesized that colonized plants would have higher nitrate reductase activity than uncolonized plants because previous studies had demonstrated that high nitrate reductase activity under substrate-limiting conditions can result in increased plant δ(15)N values. Consistent with our hypothesis, nitrate reductase activity in colonized plants was twice that of uncolonized plants. This study offers two important insights that are likely applicable to understanding nitrogen dynamics in fluid-feeder/host systems. First, isotopic separation of aphid and host depends on nitrogen availability. Second, aphid colonization alters host nitrogen metabolism and subsequently host nitrogen stable-isotope signature. Notably, this work establishes a metabolic framework for future hypothesis-driven studies focused on aphid manipulation of host nitrogen metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex C C Wilson
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.
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Christensen H, Fogel ML. Feeding ecology and evidence for amino acid synthesis in the periodical cicada (Magicicada). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2011; 57:211-219. [PMID: 21075111 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2009] [Revised: 11/05/2010] [Accepted: 11/06/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The periodical cicadas of the genus Magicicada (including M. septendecim, M. cassini, and M. septendecula) have the longest juvenile life span of any insect, living underground for 13 or 17 years and feeding exclusively on root xylem fluids. Due to their inaccessible life cycles very little is known about cicada nutrition, despite the fact that members of Magicicada can achieve a very large biomass in woodland habitats east of the Mississippi and hence constitute a major part of the ecosystem where they occur in high densities. Live cicadas were collected at two sites in early June of 2004, during the emergence of Brood X (both M. septendecim and M. cassini were recovered). We used a combination of stable isotopic measurements (δ(15)N and δ(13)C) and multivariate statistical techniques to test for differences in resource acquisition among the cicada species and sexes collected at two locations within the 17-year periodical Brood X range. The amino acid constituents of cicada chitin and organs, plus xylem extracted from a deciduous sapling, were also analyzed. The data show that male and female cicadas have different carbon fractionations, which could reflect differential resource utilization due to oviposition in females. Several essential amino acids for the cicada were absent in xylem. Carbon-isotopic composition of all amino acids in the cicadas was distinctly different from the limited set measured in the xylem. Because of the differences in isotopic composition, we conclude that amino acids were synthesized de novo rather than incorporated directly, most likely produced by endosymbiotic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary Christensen
- The University of Chicago, Department of the Geophysical Sciences, 5734 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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11
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Trophic ecology of the invasive argentine ant: spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation and isotopic enrichment. Oecologia 2010; 164:763-71. [PMID: 20577762 PMCID: PMC2955918 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1694-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2010] [Accepted: 06/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Studies of food webs often employ stable isotopic approaches to infer trophic position and interaction strength without consideration of spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation by constituent species. Using results from laboratory diet manipulations and monthly sampling of field populations, we illustrate how nitrogen isotopes may be used to quantify spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation in ants. First, we determined nitrogen enrichment using a controlled laboratory experiment with the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). After 12 weeks, worker δ(15)N values from colonies fed an animal-based diet had δ(15)N values that were 5.51% greater compared to colonies fed a plant-based diet. The shift in δ(15)N values in response to the experimental diet occurred within 10 weeks. We next reared Argentine ant colonies with or without access to honeydew-producing aphids and found that after 8 weeks workers from colonies without access to aphids had δ(15)N values that were 6.31% larger compared to colonies with access to honeydew. Second, we sampled field populations over a 1-year period to quantify spatio-temporal variability in isotopic ratios of L. humile and those of a common native ant (Solenopsis xyloni). Samples from free-living colonies revealed that fluctuations in δ(15)N were 1.6-2.4‰ for L. humile and 1.8-2.9‰ for S. xyloni. Variation was also detected among L. humile castes: time averaged means of δ(15)N varied from 1.2 to 2.5‰ depending on the site, with δ(15)N values for queens ≥ workers > brood. The estimated trophic positions of L. humile and S. xyloni were similar within a site; however, trophic position for each species differed significantly at larger spatial scales. While stable isotopes are clearly useful for examining the trophic ecology of arthropod communities, our results suggest that caution is warranted when making ecological interpretations when stable isotope collections come from single time periods or life stages.
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12
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Linking aboveground and belowground food webs through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses. Ecol Res 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-010-0719-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Bennett JA, Gillespie DR, VanLaerhoven SL. Investigating the diet of the omnivorous mirid Dicyphus hesperus using stable isotopes. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2009; 99:347-358. [PMID: 19159499 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485308006378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Omnivory involves numerous feeding relationships and a complex web of interactions. When using omnivores in biocontrol, these interactions need to be understood to maximize feeding on the target species and minimize non-target interactions. Dicyphus hesperus is used along with Encarsia formosa for biocontrol of whiteflies in greenhouse tomato crops. Dicyphus hesperus is a generalist omnivore which feeds on all components of the system. To quantify these interactions, stable isotope analysis was used to identify trophic position with nitrogen isotopes (delta15N) and plant sources with carbon isotopes (delta13C). Feeding trials were used to establish baseline isotopic data for D. hesperus and their diet, including Verbascum thapsus, an alternative plant food. Cage trials were used to monitor population abundances and the isotopic signature of D. hesperus. In feeding trials, D. hesperus were enriched relative to their food, suggesting an elevated trophic position. However, large amounts of isotopic variation were found within all diet components, with only V. thapsus exhibiting a distinct signature. In cage trials, the average delta15N and delta13C of the omnivore declined over time, coinciding with declines in total available prey, though it may be confounded by changes in temperature. The range of delta13C, but not the range of delta15N, also declined over time. This suggests a change in the plant source within the diet, but also some unquantified variability within the population. We suggest that diet variability exists within D. hesperus populations, declining as prey become less abundant.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Bennett
- Department of Biology, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, ON, Canada N9B 3P4
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Pisonia grandis monocultures limit the spread of an invasive ant—a case of carbohydrate quality? Biol Invasions 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-008-9348-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Goggin FL. Plant-aphid interactions: molecular and ecological perspectives. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2007; 10:399-408. [PMID: 17652010 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2007.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2007] [Revised: 06/01/2007] [Accepted: 06/08/2007] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Many aphids are major agricultural pests because of their unparalleled reproductive capacity and their ability to manipulate host plant physiology. Aphid population growth and its impact on plant fitness are strongly influenced by interactions with other organisms, including plant pathogens, endophytes, aphid endosymbionts, predators, parasitoids, ants, and other herbivores. Numerous molecular and genomic resources have recently been developed to identify sources of aphid resistance in plants, as well as potentially novel targets for control in aphids. Moreover, the same model systems that are used to explore direct molecular interactions between plants and aphids can be utilized to study the ecological context in which they occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona L Goggin
- Department of Entomology, 320 Agriculture Building, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
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