Antagonistic coevolution between hosts and parasites can result in negative frequency-dependent selection and may thus be an important mechanism maintaining genetic variation in populations. Negative frequency-dependence emerges readily if interactions between hosts and parasites are genotypespecific such that no host genotype is most resistant to all parasite genotypes, and no parasite genotyp...

Myzus persicae is a devastating pest affecting potato production. Intron-containing hairpin RNA (ihpRNA) silenced the odorant-binding protein 8 (OBP8) for enhanced protection against in potatoes. OBP8 was isolated from M. persicae, sequenced, with allotment of GenBank ID. ERNAi used to design siRNA targets no off-targets. Multiple Sequence Alignment show resemblance Acyrthosiphon pisum, Rhopalo...

Alate alienicolae of approximately uniform size were obtained from healthy colonies of the same clone maintained in the laboratory at 18 ±5° C. on broad beans (Vicia faba L., var. Claudia Aquadulce). They were collected within \ hr. of the final ecdysis and kept for 24 hr. on young beans in the dark at 20° C. to complete their teneral development and become ready for flight (Taylor, 1957). The ...

One idea to explain the high incidence of specialisation in phytophagous insects is that their nervous systems are simple and unable to efficiently recognise multiple host plants. Here this 'neural limitations' hypothesis is tested using a generalist (the summer winged virginopara) and specialist (the autumn gynopara) morph of a single clone of the black bean aphid, Aphis fabae, that are almost...

Many aphids are known to engage in a trophic mutualism with ants, whereby the aphids secrete sugary-rich honeydew which is collected by the ants for food, and the ants, in exchange, protect the aphids against natural enemies. Previous results, however, suggest that the production of some of the honeydew sugars, such as the ant-attractant trisaccharide melezitose, may induce an indirect cost to ...