Phenotypic plasticity in morphological features of Thelaxes suberi (Del Guercio, 1911) (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) feed on Quercus (L.) species
Journal Title: Journal of Insect Biodiversity - Year 2017, Vol 5, Issue 8
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is a common and important phenomenon in aphids, particularly in host plant utilization. It has been shown that Thelaxes suberi species fed on three closely related Quercus species showed high amount of phenotypic plasticity in morphological characters. Thelaxes suberi population has the largest morphological features on Quercus infectoria and the smallest morphological features on the Quercus coccifera. It was thought that these differences related with the total protein content and level of amino acid in acorns of the host plant where Thelaxes individuals were collected during this study. Findings of the study indicated how high is phenotypic plasticity capacity of aphid species and interactions with host plant properties. Another important implication of the result is that as aphid has a close relationship with host plant and even small amount of changes in the same Quercus species caused that amount of plasticity in Thelaxes species. Recent ecological changes including climatic fluctuations directly influences host plants morphological/nutritional composition and might also impacts the diversity and distribution of aphid species. Findings were also discussed for possible changes in host plant range of the T. suberi as a result of the current phenotypic plasticity and possible interactions between different types of phenotypic plasticities.
Authors and Affiliations
Gazi Görür, Emin Demirtaş
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP34257
- DOI -
- Views 348
- Downloads 0
A contribution to the fauna of Crabronidae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in South-Western Iran
This study increases about three times the number of species of Crabronidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) previously known from the south Iranian province of Fars. We include 91 species, most of them being relatively widely d...
A preliminary checklist of the ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) fauna of Senegal
This work presents the first checklist of the ant species of Senegal, based on a review of the literature and on recent thorough sampling in Senegalese orchard agrosystems during rainy and dry seasons. Eighty-nine spec...
New Brazilian species of Archisotoma Linnaniemi, 1912 (Collembola: Isotomidae)
A new species of Archisotoma Linnaniemi, 1912 is described and illustrated based on material from littoral sand of Praia do Sossego beach, Niterói municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The new species Archisotoma...
Nest density and other observations on a population of Aneuretus simoni Emery, 1893 (Formicidae, Aneuretinae) and other ants in Indikada Mukalana Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan Relict Ant, Aneuretus simoni Emery, survives in several wet zone and intermediate zone forests in Sri Lanka. Nests of this species and other ants were surveyed at 159 m and 291 m elevations in Indikada M...
Taxonomic, nomenclatural, distributional and biological study of the genus Agrilus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)
One hundred sixty eight taxa of the genus Agrilus (Coleoptera, Buprestidae) mostly from the Palearctic and Oriental regions are studied and their taxonomic, nomenclatural, distributional or biological data are updated....