Molecular Ecology (1995) 4, 375-384

P.J. de Barro, T.N. Sherratt, G.R. Carvalho, D. Nicol, A. Iyengar and N. Maclean (1995)
Geographic and microgeographic genetic differentiation in two aphid species over southern England using the multilocus (GATA)₄ probe
Molecular Ecology 4 (3), 375-384
Abstract: Samples of the grain aphid Sitobion avenue (F.) and the rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) were collected in late March from wheat fields and adjacent road-side grasses at a number of locations in southern England. Unparasitized aphids were DNA fingerprinted using the multilocus (GATA)₄ probe. Over all locations, the fingerprints of individual S. avenae caught in wheat had lower overall average distances of band migration (ADBM) and shared a higher proportion of bands, than fingerprints of individuals caught in adjacent road-side grasses. The ADBM of fingerprints of S. avenae collected on road-side grasses altered significantly with geographical location, while the ADBM of fingerprints of S. avenae caught on wheat did not. A comparison of the fingerprints of individual M. dirhodum caught in wheat and neighbouring road-side grasses did not reveal any genetic differentiation. Fingerprints of M. dirhodum that were caught in the same host type did however, show significant variation in ADBM between different locations. With both S. avenue and M. dirhodum, spatial autocorrelation revealed that locations that were close together were no more likely to have individuals with similar ADBM than locations mat were far apart Our results suggest that (i) particular clones of S. avenue prefer to colonize wheat; and/or that (ii) particular clones of S. avenae perform better on wheat man other clones. It is unclear why M. dirhodum did not show any genetic structuring according to host type, but this species appears to engage in sexual reproduction much more frequently than S. avenae in southern England. M. dirhodum is likely to have displayed genetic heterogeneity between locations either because of founder effects, or because of genetic drift.
(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): Paul J. De Barro

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Sitobion avenae	Wheat (Triticum)	United Kingdom
	Metopolophium dirhodum	Wheat (Triticum)	United Kingdom