Ecological Entomology (2018) 43, 538-542
Hannah V. Clarke, Stephen P. Foster, Linda Oliphant, Ewan W. Waters and Alison J. Karley (2018)
Co-occurrence of defensive traits in the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae
Ecological Entomology 43 (4), 538-542
Abstract: 1. Insecticide usage selects strongly for resistance in aphid populations, but this could entail fitness costs in other resistance traits. The potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas exhibits intraspecific variation in susceptibility to parasitism by braconid wasps and provides a suitable species to study the relation between the defensive traits of parasitism and insecticide resistance.
2. Clonal lines (23 in total) of M. euphorbiae were established from aphids collected in 2013 from geographically separate populations in the U.K. Clonal lines belonged to five aphid genotypes, but one genotype predominated (78% of samples), and the facultative endosymbiont Hamiltonella defensa was detected in c. 40% of lines.
3. Total esterase activity in aphid tissues varied significantly between aphid genotypes and collection areas, but there was no clear pattern in relation to H. defensa infection or between collection sites likely to differ in insecticide pressures.
4. Five clonal lines representing low to moderate levels of enzyme activity, which included different aphid genotypes and presence/absence of H. defensa infection, were assayed for their susceptibility to the parasitoid wasp Aphidius ervi Haliday. Aphid mummification varied significantly between aphid genotypes, with low values in one genotype of aphids irrespective of H. defensa presence.
5. The results revealed that aphid lines belonging to the parasitism-resistant genotype exhibited moderate levels of total esterase activity, indicating a competitve advantage for this genotype of M. euphorbiae when exposed to chemical and biological control factors in agroecosystems.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Steve Paul Foster
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
resistance to pesticides
resistance/tolerance/defence of host
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macrosiphum euphorbiae | United Kingdom | |||
| Aphidius ervi (parasitoid) | Macrosiphum euphorbiae | United Kingdom |
