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Aphid genotypes vary in their response to the presence of fungal endosymbionts in host plants
Author(s) -
BIERI A. P. S.,
HÄRRI S. A.,
VORBURGER C.,
MÜLLER C. B.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01788.x
Subject(s) - biology , aphid , endophyte , herbivore , symbiosis , rhopalosiphum padi , genetic variation , host (biology) , genetic diversity , adaptation (eye) , botany , ecology , aphididae , gene , pest analysis , genetics , population , homoptera , demography , neuroscience , sociology , bacteria
Genetic variation for fitness‐relevant traits may be maintained in natural populations by fitness differences that depend on environmental conditions. For herbivores, plant quality and variation in chemical plant defences can maintain genetic variation in performance. Apart from plant secondary compounds, symbiosis between plants and endosymbiotic fungi (endophytes) can produce herbivore‐toxic compounds. We show that there is significant variation among aphid genotypes in response to endophytes by comparing life‐history traits of 37 clones of the bird cherry‐oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi feeding on endophyte‐free and endophyte‐infected tall fescue Lolium arundinaceum . Clonal variation for life‐history traits was large, and most clones performed better on endophyte‐free plants. However, the clones differed in the relative performance across the two environments, resulting in significant genotype × environment interactions for all reproductive traits. These findings suggest that natural variation in prevalence of endophyte infection can contribute to the maintenance of genetic diversity in aphid populations.