title: Variation in life history traits and transcriptome associated with adaptation to diet shifts in the ladybird Cryptolaemus montrouzieri.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the broad diet range of many predatory ladybirds, the mechanisms involved in their adaptation to diet shifts are not completely understood. Here, we explored how a primarily coccidophagous ladybird Cryptolaemus montrouzieri adapts to feeding on aphids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the lower survival rate, longer developmental time, and lower adult body weight and reproduction rate of the predator, the aphid Megoura japonica proved being less suitable to support C. montrouzieri as compared with the citrus mealybug Planococcus citri. The results indicated up-regulation of genes related to ribosome and translation in fourth instars, which may be related to their suboptimal development. Also, several genes related to biochemical transport and metabolism, and detoxification were up-regulated as a result of adaptation to the changes in nutritional and non-nutritional (toxic) components of the prey.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicated that C. montrouzieri succeeded in feeding on aphids by regulation of genes related to development, digestion and detoxification. Thus, we argue that these candidate genes are valuable for further studies of the functional evolution of ladybirds led by diet shifts.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Hao-Sen
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Clercq
authors.affiliation: Australian National Insect Collection, National Research Collections, CSIRO, Australia, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ślipiński
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, Guangdong, China. lsshpang@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pang
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006430:Hemiptera; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D008297:Male; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D059467:Transcriptome
keywords: Aphid; Coccid; Cryptolaemus montrouzieri; Diet shift; Life history; Predacious ladybird; Transcriptome