The Ingestion of Xylem Sap by Meadow Spittlebugs, Philaenus Spumarius (L.)

Wiegert, Richard G.

doi:10.2307/2423300

Cited by 59 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The few solutes that are present in excreta are mostly mineral ions, including calcium, again consistent with a xylem origin (Cheung & Marshall, 1973 ;Andersen et al, 1989). $ Spittlebugs produce large quantities of excreta (Houston et al, 1947 ;Wiegert, 1964 ;Mittler, 1967 ;Horsfield, 1978), at rates of up to 100-fold greater than in phloem-feeding insects of comparable size. Despite these high rates of feeding Philaenus has a low growth rate and produces only a single generation each year in the UK (Stewart & Lees, 1996) and North America (Wiegert, 1964).…”

Section: mentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Wiegert, 1964 ;Cheung & Marshall, 1973 ;Horsfield, 1978 ;R. F. Mizell & W. J. French, unpublished, cited in Andersen et al, 1989 ;Crews et al, 1998).…”

Section: mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…$ Spittlebugs produce large quantities of excreta (Houston et al, 1947 ;Wiegert, 1964 ;Mittler, 1967 ;Horsfield, 1978), at rates of up to 100-fold greater than in phloem-feeding insects of comparable size. Despite these high rates of feeding Philaenus has a low growth rate and produces only a single generation each year in the UK (Stewart & Lees, 1996) and North America (Wiegert, 1964). This indicates that the food source must be very poor in organic compounds, again consistent with its being xylem sap.…”

Section: mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The spittlebug Philaenus spumarius feeds from mature xylem at the full hydraulic tension of the transpiration stream

Malone¹,

Watson²,

Pritchard³

1999

New Phytologist

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Feeding dynamics in the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius were analysed to determine the food source. Evidence from previous reports indicates that this species and similar insects feed from the xylem. However, it is not clear whether they extract sap from the main transpiration stream, or from some subsidiary compartment of xylem, such as immature or cavitated vessels. In feeding from such subsidiary compartments, the insects could avoid the large hydraulic tensions thought to prevail in xylem on the main transpiration stream. Philaenus, for example, is shown here to initiate feeding, and to feed rapidly, from plants in which the full xylem tension is estimated at k10 bar. From measurements of feeding rates and feeding patterns in stressed and unstressed plants, it is shown that Philaenus cannot feed from subsidiary xylem compartments. It is concluded that this insect feeds directly from the main transpiration stream, and at the full hydraulic tension which prevails there. The anatomy of the feeding pump in Philaenus appears consistent with this conclusion. Spittlebugs therefore offer an experimental tool for quasi-non-invasive sampling of the transpiration stream.

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Section: mentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Wiegert, 1964 ;Cheung & Marshall, 1973 ;Horsfield, 1978 ;R. F. Mizell & W. J. French, unpublished, cited in Andersen et al, 1989 ;Crews et al, 1998).…”

Section: mentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The spittlebug Philaenus spumarius feeds from mature xylem at the full hydraulic tension of the transpiration stream

Malone¹,

Watson²,

Pritchard³

1999

New Phytologist

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show abstract

“…data). Once a feeding site is established, nymphs feed on xylem with their strawlike mouthparts and generate the spittle for which they are named (Severin 1950;Wiegert 1964;Horsfield 1978). The spittle mass covers their bodies and primarily protects nymphs from desiccation (Weaver and King 1954;McEvoy 1986).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inbreeding Alters Resistance to Insect Herbivory and Host Plant Quality in Mimulus Guttatus (Scrophulariaceae)

2002

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Abstract. Previous studies have demonstrated genetic variation for resistance to insect herbivores and host plant quality. The effect of plant mating system, an important determinant of the distribution of genetic variation, on host plant characteristics has received almost no attention. This study used a controlled greenhouse experiment to examine the effect of self-and cross-pollination in Mimulus guttatus (Scrophulariaceae) on resistance to and host plant quality for the xylem-feeding spittlebug Philaenus spumarius (Homoptera: Cercopidae). Spittlebugs were found to have a negative effect on two important fitness components in M. guttatus, flower production and aboveground biomass. One of two M. guttatus populations examined showed a significant interaction between the pollination and herbivore treatments. In this case, the detrimental effects of herbivores on biomass and flower production were much more pronounced in inbred (self) plants. The presence of spittlebug nymphs increased inbreeding depression by as much as three times. Pollination treatments also had significant effects on important components of herbivore fitness, but these effects were in opposite directions in our two host plant populations. Spittlebug nymphs maturing on self plants emerged as significantly larger adults in one of our host plant populations, indicating that inbreeding increased host plant quality. In our second host plant population, spittlebug nymphs took significantly longer to develop to adulthood on self plants, indicating that inbreeding decreased host plant quality. Taken together these results suggest that the degree of inbreeding in host plant populations can have important and perhaps complex effects on the dynamics of plant-herbivore interactions and on mating-system evolution in the host.

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“…It is common to Europe and North America, but has been reported from Asia, Africa, Japan, and South America (Hoffman, 1983). Meadow spittlebugs feed exclusively on xylem sap (Wiegert, 1964;Horsfield, 1978) and have a host range of several hundred plant species (Weaver and King, 1954). The concentration of nitrogenous compounds and sugar in xylem sap is extremely low (Pate, 1976(Pate, , 1980), and necessitates a high feeding rate and the excretion of excess water (Hoffman, 1983).…”

Section: The Cercopidmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predation on Cercopids and Material Use of the Spittle in Aphid‐Tent Construction by Prairie ANTS

Henderson

Hoffman

Jeanne

1990

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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The Ingestion of Xylem Sap by Meadow Spittlebugs, Philaenus Spumarius (L.)

Cited by 59 publications

References 6 publications

The spittlebug Philaenus spumarius feeds from mature xylem at the full hydraulic tension of the transpiration stream

The spittlebug Philaenus spumarius feeds from mature xylem at the full hydraulic tension of the transpiration stream

Inbreeding Alters Resistance to Insect Herbivory and Host Plant Quality in Mimulus Guttatus (Scrophulariaceae)

Predation on Cercopids and Material Use of the Spittle in Aphid‐Tent Construction by Prairie ANTS

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