Host genotype–endosymbiont associations and their relationship with aphid parasitism at the field level

1. The relationship between endosymbionts and insects represent complex eco‐evolutionary interactions. Vertically transmitted endosymbionts can be a source of evolutionary novelty by conferring ecologically important traits to their insect hosts, such as protection against natural enemies. Host–endosymbiont associations could constitute an adaptive complex (holobiont) on which selective pressures present in the environment can act, being transferred to the next generation. 2. Although several laboratory‐based studies have confirmed host genotype × symbiont interactions, few studies have been directed at those associations in the natural populations and their ability to protect themselves from parasitism pressure at the field level. 3. A field‐based approach to study the aphid genotype–endosymbiont associations and its relationship with the total parasitism in the grain aphid Sitobion avenae was conducted. From the field study, experiments were carried out to study the defensive effect of the two most common facultative endosymbionts (Regiella insecticola and Hamiltonella defensa) present in S. avenae against one of the most important parasitoid species, Aphidius ervi. 4. Evidence is presented here of a high specificity of the aphid clone–endosymbiont associations in the field; however, the field and experimental results here do not support a relationship between the aphid clone–endosymbiont associations and a proxy of total parasitism in S. avenae. These findings highlight the importance of particular host clone–endosymbiont couplings as a key factor in gaining an understanding of the coevolutionary dynamics of endosymbionts in nature and their effect on the invasive potential of pest insects.     

Versuche zum Herbizideinsatz in gesäten Kohlarten

In den Jahren 1987 bis 1989 wurden die Auswirkungen und Effekte eines kombinierten Befalls des Winterweizens mit Sitobion avenae (Fabr.) und Puccinia recondita Rob.ex Desm. f.sp.tritici Erikss. untersucht. Dabei wurde das Verhalten der Schaderregerpopulationen und die Einflußnahme auf das Ertragsgeschehen bei separatem und simultanem Befall erfaßt. Während bei starkem Befall der oberen Blattetagen mit P.recondita eine Förderung der Aphidenpopulation an den Ähren der befallenen Pflanzen registriert werden konnte, war bei schwachem Braunrostbefall keine Einflußnahme auf die Blattläuse nachweisbar. Durch das kombinierte Auftreten beider Schaderreger kann es zu Reduktionen bei der Kornmasse/Ähre und bei der Tausendkornmasse kommen, die größer sind, als die Summe der Verluste bei Einzelbefall. Ähren stark braunrostbefallener Winterweizenpflanzen wurden zeitiger von S.avenae angeflogen und schneller besiedelt als diese von gesunden Kontrollpflanzen. Als Ursache für die Förderung der Populationsentwicklung von S.avenae werden durch P.recondita induzierte Veränderungen im Angebot an freien Aminosäuren in der Wirtspflanze diskutiert.     

Aphid–willow interactions in a high Arctic ecosystem: responses to raised temperature and goose disturbance

Recently, there have been several studies using open top chambers (OTCs) or cloches to examine the response of Arctic plant communities to artificially elevated temperatures. Few, however, have investigated multitrophic systems, or the effects of both temperature and vertebrate grazing treatments on invertebrates. This study investigated trophic interactions between an herbivorous insect (Sitobion calvulum, Aphididae), a woody perennial host plant (Salix polaris) and a selective vertebrate grazer (barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis). In a factorial experiment, the responses of the insect and its host to elevated temperatures using open top chambers (OTCs) and to three levels of goose grazing pressure were assessed over two summer growing seasons (2004 and 2005). OTCs significantly enhanced the leaf phenology of Salix in both years and there was a significant OTC by goose presence interaction in 2004. Salix leaf number was unaffected by treatments in both years, but OTCs increased leaf size and mass in 2005. Salix reproduction and the phenology of flowers were unaffected by both treatments. Aphid densities were increased by OTCs but unaffected by goose presence in both years. While goose presence had little effect on aphid density or host plant phenology in this system, the OTC effects provide interesting insights into the possibility of phenological synchrony disruption. The advanced phenology of Salix effectively lengthens the growing season for the plant, but despite a close association with leaf maturity, the population dynamics of the aphid appeared to lack a similar phenological response, except for the increased population observed.     

麦长管蚜唾液中几种酶的鉴定、活力测定与功能分析

用Parafilm膜夹营养液法,以两种食料介质饲喂麦长管蚜Macrosiphum avenae 3龄若蚜并收集其唾液,对唾液中的酶类进行了鉴定、活力测定和功能分析。结果表明,在20%蔗糖介质提取液中,鉴定有果胶酶、多酚氧化酶和纤维素酶; 在水介质提取液中鉴定有纤维素酶; 两种介质提取液中都未鉴定出过氧化物酶。酶活力测定结果表明, 在20%蔗糖介质提取液中, 每30头蚜虫分泌的果胶酶、多酚氧化酶和纤维素酶的酶活力分别为2.59×10^-3 U/g、7×10^-3 U/g和7.89×10^-3 U/g; 在水介质提取液中,纤维素酶活力为3.68×10^-3 U/g。行为反应试验结果表明,果胶酶处理麦苗的挥发物组分能引起麦长管蚜寄生性天敌燕麦蚜茧蜂Aphidius avenae和捕食性天敌七星瓢虫Coccinella septempunctata 的嗅觉偏好反应,因此,果胶酶在麦长管蚜取食诱导小麦植株的间接防御反应中具有重要作用。     

昼夜温度波动对麦长管蚜生理生态表型影响及其相关性研究

昼夜温度波动变化是气候变暖的主要特征之一,昼夜变温幅度对生物的影响越来越受到科学家的关注。与恒温研究相比,变温幅度对昆虫生活史特征影响的研究还十分有限。因此,本研究模拟自然界24 h温度变化,并首次全面研究了相同平均温度（22℃）下不同变温幅度（±0℃、±6℃、±12℃）对麦长管蚜Sitobion avenae生理指标（温度耐受性、呼吸）与生态指标（发育、存活、寿命、繁殖、种群参数）的影响。结果表明,与变温幅度±0℃和±12℃相比,变温幅度±6℃显著提高了麦长管蚜整体存活、寿命、繁殖以及净增值率与世代周期。与其它处理相比,较大变温幅度±12℃显著阻碍了麦长管蚜若虫发育,抑制了整体存活,缩短了寿命,降低了繁殖量,且显著降低了种群内禀增长率、净增值率与世代周期。但是,较大变温幅度±12℃,显著提高了成蚜的耐热、耐寒性与CO2呼吸速率。研究还发现,在不同变温幅度中,麦长管蚜成蚜耐寒性的提高是以寿命为代价的。由此可见,以往以恒温为基础的昆虫种群表型及数量动态预测模型均存在局限,昼夜变温幅度作为必要因素,应考虑纳入种群表型及数量动态预测模型中,从而提高昆虫田间发生情况预测预报的准确性与气候变化对生物的风险评估的精确性。     

Silencing the expression of the salivary sheath protein causes transgenerational feeding suppression in the aphid Sitobion avenae

Aphids produce gel saliva during feeding which forms a sheath around the stylet as it penetrates through the apoplast. The sheath is required for the sustained ingestion of phloem sap from sieve elements and is thought to form when the structural sheath protein (SHP) is cross‐linked by intermolecular disulphide bridges. We investigated the possibility of controlling aphid infestation by host‐induced gene silencing (HIGS) targeting shp expression in the grain aphid Sitobion avenae. When aphids were fed on transgenic barley expressing shp double‐stranded RNA (shp‐dsRNA), they produced significantly lower levels of shp mRNA compared to aphids feeding on wild‐type plants, suggesting that the transfer of inhibitory RNA from the plant to the insect was successful. shp expression remained low when aphids were transferred from transgenic plants and fed for 1 or 2 weeks, respectively, on wild‐type plants, confirming that silencing had a prolonged impact. Reduced shp expression correlated with a decline in growth, reproduction and survival rates. Remarkably, morphological and physiological aberrations such as winged adults and delayed maturation were maintained over seven aphid generations feeding on wild‐type plants. Targeting shp expression therefore appears to cause strong transgenerational effects on feeding, development and survival in S. avenae, suggesting that the HIGS technology has a realistic potential for the control of aphid pests in agriculture.     

麦长管蚜对E-β-法尼烯的嗅觉行为反应

【目的】测定麦长管蚜Sitobion avenae Fabricius对E-β-法尼烯(E-β-farnesene,EβF)矿物油溶液反应的最低阈值浓度,为EβF的田间应用提供依据。【方法】观察麦长管蚜3龄若蚜对不同浓度EβF的逃逸行为和"Y"型管嗅觉行为反应。每天定时分5次(9:00,11:30,14:00,16:30和19:00)滴加10μL EβF于滤纸上,滤纸用牙签固定于麦苗盆中心,持续处理5 d。每盆麦苗处理前接1龄若蚜15头。记录成蚜翅型及2周后蚜虫总数量。【结果】随着EβF浓度升高,麦长管蚜3龄若蚜3 min内逃离数显著增加,有翅蚜比例显著增加,种群个体数量显著下降,驱避效果明显增强。EβF浓度为200 ng/μL和≥600 ng/μL使蚜虫逃离数显著增加(P0.05)。"Y"型管选择行为测试结果表明,EβF≥600 ng/μL对3龄若蚜具有极显著的驱避作用(P0.01)。与对照相比,EβF≥600 ng/μL处理极显著提高了有翅蚜比例(P0.01);EβF≥400 ng/μL极显著抑制蚜虫种群个体数量增长(P0.01),但与600 ng/μL处理差异不显著。【结论】600 ng/μL EβF矿物油溶液为麦长管蚜驱避剂的最低阈值浓度。     

Large‐scale migration synchrony between parasitoids and their host

1. Parasitoids are a valuable group for conservation biological control. In their role as regulators of aphid pests, it is critical that their lifecycle is synchronised with their hosts in both space and time. This is because a synchronised parasitoid community is more likely to strengthen the overall conservation biological control effect, thus damping aphid numbers and preventing potential outbreaks. One component of this host–parasitoid system was examined, that of migration, and the hypothesis that peak summer parasitoid and host migrations are synchronised in time was tested. 2. Sitobion avenae Fabricius and six associated parasitoids were sampled from 1976 to 2013 using 12.2‐m suction‐traps from two sites in Southern England. The relationship between peak weekly S. avenae counts and their parasitoids was quantified. 3. Simple regression models showed that the response of the peak parasitoids to the host was positive: generally, more parasitoids migrated with increasing numbers of aphids. Further, when averaged over time, the parasitoid migration peak date corresponded with the aphid migration peak. The co‐occurrence of the peaks was between 51% and 64%. However, the summer peak in aphid migration is not steadily shifting forward with time unlike spring first flights of aphids. Cross‐correlation analysis showed that there were no between‐year lagged effects of aphids on parasitoids. 4. These results demonstrate that the peak in migration phenology between host and parasitoid is broadly synchronised within a season. Because the threshold temperature for flight (> 12 °C) was almost always exceeded in summer, the synchronising agent is likely to be crop senescence, not temperature. Studies are needed to assess the effects of climate change on the mismatch potential between parasitoids and their hosts.     

基于EPG的麦长管蚜、麦二叉蚜和禾谷缢管蚜取食行为比较

麦长管蚜Sitobion avenae (Fabricius),麦二叉蚜Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)和禾谷缢管蚜Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus)虽然都取食小麦,但其取食部位、传毒能力均有差异。利用EPG研究了3种麦蚜在同一寄主植物上的取食行为,结果显示:(1)禾谷缢管蚜在取食过程中G波出现的时间最早,G波总的持续时间和每次刺探G波的平均持续时间都明显长于麦长管蚜和麦二叉蚜。麦长管蚜第1次E1波的时间、E1波总的持续时间和每次刺探E1波的平均持续时间都明显比麦二叉蚜和禾谷缢管蚜要长。麦二叉蚜E2波总的持续时间和每次刺探E2波的平均持续时间都明显长于麦长管蚜和禾谷缢管蚜。表明3种蚜虫各自拥有不同取食策略。禾谷缢管蚜比其它两种蚜虫需要更多的水分和无机盐,麦长管蚜通过分泌大量唾液增大对食物的利用率,麦二叉蚜通过增加韧皮部取食时间以满足对营养的需要。(2)刺探过程中麦二叉蚜pd波出现的次数为(51.97±7.82)次,高于麦长管蚜的(44.73±4.52)次和禾谷缢管蚜的(32.99±4.22)次。麦二叉蚜pd波Ⅱ-2和Ⅱ-3亚波的时间最长,禾谷缢管蚜最短,三者之间差异达显著水平。表明与其它两种麦蚜相比,麦二叉蚜在取食过程中口针与细胞间的接触频率更高,与细胞内获毒和传毒相关的Ⅱ-3波和Ⅱ-2波持续时间更长,增加了获毒和传毒的几率,是其传毒能力最强的机理。