title: Strategies used by two apterous strains of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum for passive dispersal.
abstract: Wingless forms of aphids are relatively sedentary, and have a limited ability to migrate or disperse. However, they can drop off hosts or walk away if disturbed, or their food quality or quantity become deteriorated. Earlier, we found that the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris, 1776), could use differed strategies to escape danger and locate new host plants. To determine the mechanisms behind the different strategies, we undertook a series of studies including the aphids' host location, energy reserves under starvation, glycogenesis, sugar assimilation, olfactory and probing behaviors. We found that in our controlled laboratory conditions, one strain (local laboratory strain) moved longer distances and dispersed wider ranges, and correspondingly these aphids assimilated more sugars, synthesized more glycogen, and moved faster than another strain (collected from Gansu Province, northwestern China). However, the latter strain could locate the host faster, probed leaves more frequently, and identified plant leaves more accurately than the former strain after they were starved. Our results explained how flightless or wingless insects adapt to fit biotic and abiotic challenges in the complex processes of natural selection.
authors.affiliation: College of plant protection, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of plant protection, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Xing-Xing
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of plant protection, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: College of plant protection, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Zhan-Feng
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of plant protection, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Gang
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: College of plant protection, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China txliu@nwsuaf.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Tong-Xian
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7686-0686
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Liu
keywords: Adaptation; Apterae; Locomotion; Natural selection; Starvation