Polymorphism and Damage of Aphids (Homoptera: Aphidoidea)

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of original and published data on the ways of interaction of aphids with their host plants, the abiotic environment, other aphids and various other organisms, in relation to the specific traits of their biology, epigenesis, and migrations. Special attention is paid to the factors determining the colonial mode of life and the factors controlling the formation of alate morphs during the vegetation period. It is shown that damage of aphids is determined by their mode of feeding on plant sap, gregariousness, short-and long-range dispersal, and intraspecific variation. The factors controlling polymorphism in aphids are classified for the first time and a diagram showing their action is proposed. The importance of alate morph development in aphids as a factor and an indicator of their damage is demonstrated.

The Peculiarities of Metopolophium dirhodum (Walk.) Population Formation Depending on Its Clonal and Morphotypic Organization during the Summer Period

“…This relatively lower level of reproduction has been noted by other authors under different climatic conditions as well [ 56 , 63 ]. The morphotype composition of the offspring also differed this year; R. padi produced a greater percent of dispersing morphotypes (alate and alatoid nymphs, in total) than M. dirhodum , up to 26.5% of the offspring [ 64 ] compared to 7.82% ( Table 6 , 2017). Many factors influence polyphenism in aphids [ 57 , 64 ]; in the present study, the role of aphid clones and morphotypes is discussed.…”

Specific features of the development of Rhopalosiphum padi in connection with migration and transfer of the viral infection to host and non-host plants using potato as an example

“…In the case of polymorphism, aphids exhibit only apterous (fundatrices, oviparae), or strictly alate (males, gynoparae) morphs. In polyphenism, development pathways leading to alternative phenotypes depending on surrounding conditions such as combination of endogenous (epigenetic) factors (intraspecies variability, morph and age of mother, generation) and exogenous ones (quality of host plants, density of colonies, photoperiod, temperature) (Ogawa and Miura 2014;Vereschagina and Gandrabur 2014). It is still unknown the extent to which entomophagous can affect the flying activity of aphids.…”

“…The development of asexual alate in Rh. padi populations are known to be associated with host plant quality (Müller 2001;Williams and Dixon 2007;Parry 2013;Vereschagina and Gandrabur 2014). The interrelation in the aphid migration with the bird cherry development is always observed.…”