Feeding behavioral response of cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, to elevated CO₂: EPG test with leaf microstructure and leaf chemistry

Abstract

Effect of elevated CO 2 on feeding behavior of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), was investigated using electrical penetration graphs (EPG) on cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae). Leaf microstructures and foliar soluble constituents were also measured simultaneously to quantify the impact of foliar changes on leaf nutritional quantity and quality, owing to elevated CO 2 , on stylet penetration and food-quality plasticity of A. gossypii. Significant increases in fresh body weight, fecundity, and population abundances of A. gossypii were found in elevated CO 2 in contrast to ambient CO 2 . Elevated CO 2 influenced the feeding behavior, as evidenced by altered EPG recordings, including the increased non-penetration period (walking and finding the feeding site), E2 <8 min (probes with sustained ingestion of <8 min), and first E2 >8 min (first occurrence of probes with sustained ingestion of >8 min), and decreased E2 >8 min recordings. Moreover, leaf microstructures were significantly affected by CO 2 levels, with thinner upside epidermis (UPE) and thicker underside epidermis (UDE), sponge tissues (ST), and fence tissues under elevated CO 2 compared to that in ambient CO 2 . Therefore, it is expected that A. gossypii spend more time penetrating the thicker leaf UDE and ST when the host plant is exposed to elevated CO 2 . Furthermore, elevated CO 2 significantly enhanced foliar soluble matter, including soluble sugars (SS), free amino acids and fatty acids (FFA), and total soluble matter (TSM), which was congruent with significant increase or decrease in leaf turgor or osmotic potential. Increased leaf turgor and leaf soluble constituents favored ingestion in A. gossypii, resulting in increases in fresh body weight, fecundity, and population abundances under elevated CO 2 . These feeding behaviors and resulting population growth parameters are consistent with the significant positive correlations between aphid fresh body weight and foliar FFA/TSM, between A. gossypii fecundity and foliar SS of cotton plants, and between the time of E2 <8 min recordings and leaf turgor.

Effects of elevated CO2 on life‐history traits of three successive generations of Frankliniella occidentalis and F. intonsa on kidney bean, Phaseolus vulgaris

“…A study on Gastrophysa viridula (DeGeer) showed that female fecundity of the second generation reduced by 30% compared to that of the first generation in elevated CO 2 (600 ppm) (Brooks & Whittaker, 1998). Thus, elevated CO 2 may only have significant effects after a number of generations (Awmack et al, 1997;Jiang et al, 2016).…”

Dispersion of Myzus persicae and transmission of Potato virus Y under elevated CO2 atmosphere

“…However, this study lacks in a factorial design (i.e., two aphid treatments*two plant treatments) and cannot inform whether an increase in CO 2 concentration affects aphids, plants, or both. Thus, based on evidence of aphid feeding behavior being modified (Guo et al, 2013(Guo et al, , 2014Jiang et al, 2016; Tre z bicki (Ode et al, 2014), we hypothesize that the observed increase in transmission efficiency may be attributed to one of these factors. With this in mind, we can speculate that the feeding behavior of aphids is dependent on plant defenses, and would modify their potential transmission efficiency.…”

Physiological and Defense Responses of Tea Plants to Elevated CO2: A Review

“…Thus the growth and development of herbivorous and sap-sucking insects is indirectly altered by elevated CO 2 through its direct effects on plant biomass and nutrient compositions (Kazan, 2018;Li et al, 2019a). In general, elevated CO 2 triggers population growth of sap-sucking insects such as aphids (e.g., Myzus persicae), whiteflies (e.g., Bemisia tabaci), and planthoppers (e.g., Nilaparvata lugens) (Jiang et al, 2016;Li et al, 2019a). However, the growth, survival rates and population density of most leaf-chewing insects are suppressed by elevated CO 2 possibly because of the potential deterioration of nutrient quality of their feeds (Coll and Hughes, 2008;Kazan, 2018).…”