The importance of sexual selection in population divergence is of much interest, mainly because it is thought to cause reproductive isolation and hence could lead to speciation. Sexually selected traits have been hypothesized to diverge faster between populations than other traits, presumably because of differences in the strength, mechanism or dynamics of selection. We investigated this by quantifying population divergence in eight morphological characters in 12 south Swedish populations of a sexually dimorphic damselfly, the banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). The morphological characters included a secondary sexual character, the male melanized wing spot, which has an important function in both inter-and intrasexual selection. In addition, we investigated molecular population divergence, revealed by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. Molecular population divergence was highly significant among these Northern European populations (overall F st ¼ 0.054; pairwise population F st 's ranged from B0 to 0.13). We found evidence for isolation-by-distance (r ¼ 0.70) for the molecular markers and a significant correlation between molecular and phenotypic population divergence (r ¼ 0.39). One interpretation is that population divergence for the AFLP loci are affected by genetic drift, but is also indirectly influenced by selection, due to linkage with loci for the phenotypic traits. Field estimates of sexual and natural selection from two of the populations revealed fairly strong sexual selection on wing spot length, indicating that this trait has the potential to rapidly diverge, provided that variation is heritable and the observed selection is chronic.

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With only approximately 50 olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), the carrot psyllid Trioza apicalis (Homoptera: Psylloidea) may have the smallest olfactory system described in adult Neopteran insects. Using single sensillum recordings (SSR) and gas chromatograph-linked SSR, we characterized 4 olfactory sensilla forming a distinct morphological type, which together house approximately 25% of all ORNs. We recorded responses to extracts and single constituents from Daucus carota ssp. sativus, from the conifers Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, and Juniperus communis, as well as from male and female T. apicalis. Receptor neurons were highly selective; only 9 compounds in total elicited repeatable responses, and each neuron responded to at most 3 individual compounds. Chemical profiles of carrot and conifers showed significant overlap, with 4 out of 9 electrophysiologically active compounds occurring in more than one type of extract, but a carrot-specific compound elicited the most repeated responses. We identified 4 tentative neuron classes and found a rather high degree of neuronal redundancy, with 1 neuron class present in 3 and another present in all 4 of the sensilla, respectively.

Abstract.We have studied the effect of different light gradient regimes on host-plant selection of the carrot psyllid, Trioza apicalis Förster. In both a strong and a weak light gradient, carrot psyllids preferred a carrot leaf placed in higher light intensity. When the choice was between the host (carrot Daucus carota L.) and a non-host (barley Hordeum vulgare L.) virgin adults settled significantly more often on non-host in higher light intensity than on carrot in lower light intensity. In a weak light gradient, none of the gravid females settled on a non-host. In an experiment without light gradient, gravid females showed a preference for carrot, whereas virgin females settled approximately equally on Norway spruce Picea abies Karst. (winter shelter plant) and carrot. Our results show that virgin and gravid individuals have different host-plant selection behaviour, and that they are sensitive to small differences in light intensity. Both factors can create a source of variation in behavioural assays, and should be taken into consideration in future experiments with this and probably also related species. Our results suggest that carrot psyllids can utilize visual cues (light intensity or wavelength) in host-plant selection, and the role of visual cues should be more thoroughly studied.

We have compared the basic organization of the primary olfactory centre, the antennal lobe (AL), in 4 hemipteran species representing the 2 major lineages in this order. The Homoptera were represented by the psyllid Trioza apicalis and its aphid relatives the grain aphid Sitobion avenae Fabricius and the rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum Walker, whereas the Heteroptera were represented by the pentatomid stink bug Euschistus heros Fabricius. The olfactory systems of psyllids and aphids are generally very small, with low numbers of afferents in comparison to other insect groups, and the smallest described so far belongs to T. apicalis, comprising less than 50 olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). Originally, we tried to estimate numbers of olfactory glomeruli in the AL of T. apicalis, which in insects generally correspond closely to the number of different types of ORNs. Neither immunocytochemical staining nor anterograde staining of ORNs revealed any glomerular structures in the ALs of T. apicalis or the 2 aphids that were included for comparison. In contrast, the ALs of the pentatomid stink bug E. heros displayed numerous distinct and well-delineated glomeruli, showing that aglomerular ALs are not typical of all insects within the order Hemiptera. Glomeruli are hallmark features of olfactory lobes in many different phyla, and the absence of glomerular structures in psyllids and aphids appears to be unique in insects that depend on olfactory orientation.