title: Comparison of the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) to crowding and predator cues.
abstract: 1. Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisumHarris; Hemiptera: Aphididae) exhibit transgenerational wing polyphenism, in which unwinged females produce genetically identical winged offspring in response to environmental cues such as overcrowding and predation risk that indicate poor habitat quality. 2. Laboratory experiments were carried out to explore the intensity of the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids exposed to cues from ladybird predators and crowding, and their response was compared to pea aphids that were not exposed to any cues (control). 3. The study used cues from two different ladybird species:Coccinella septempunctataL. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) andHippodamia convergensGuérin-Méneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to investigate whether the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids to predator cues can be generalized 4. The intensity of the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids to crowding was found to be much stronger than their response to predator cues. There was no response toH. convergenscues and the response toC. septempunctatacues was mixed.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Swapna R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Purandare
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, U.S.A. ; Department of Mathematics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tenhumberg
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Brisson
keywords: Polyphenism; crowding; dispersal; predation risk; wing induction