The Ecological Significance of Aphid Cornicles and Their Secretions

2022 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-81
Author(s):  
J.P. Michaud
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Radiation ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Ecological Significance ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
Abdominal Appendages ◽  
Unsaturated Triglycerides ◽  
Root Feeding

Aphid cornicles are abdominal appendages that secrete an array of volatile and nonvolatile compounds with diverse ecological functions. The emission of alarm pheromones yields altruistic benefits for clone-mates in the aphid colony, which is essentially a superorganism with a collective fate. Secreted droplets also contain unsaturated triglycerides, fast-drying adhesives that can be lethal when smeared on natural enemies but more often impede their foraging efficiency. The longest cornicles have evolved in aphids that feed in exposed locations and are likely used to scent-mark colony intruders. Reduced cornicles are associated with reliance on alternative defenses, such as the secretion of protective waxes or myrmecophily. Root-feeding and gall-forming lifestyles provide protected feeding sites and are associated with an absence of cornicles. In some eusocial gall-formers, soldier morphs become repositories of cornicle secretion used to defend the gall, either as menopausal apterae that defend dispersing alatae or as sterile first instars that dispatch predators with their stylets and use cornicle secretions as a construction material for gall repair. Collectively, the evidence is consistent with an adaptive radiation of derived cornicle functions molded by the ecological lifestyle of the aphid lineage.

Olfactory Microhabitat Selection in Leptopilina Heterotoma (Thomson) (Hym.: Eucoilidae), a Parasitoid of Drosophilidae

1984 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise E.M. Vet ◽  
Karin Van Opzeeland
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Microhabitat Selection ◽  
Behavioural Flexibility ◽  
Ecological Significance ◽  
Parasitoid Species ◽  
Temporal Separation ◽  
Leptopilina Heterotoma ◽  
Asobara Tabida ◽  
Drosophila Larvae ◽  
Larval Conditioning

Leptopilina heterotoma (Thomson) and Asobara tabida (Nees), solitary endoparasitoids of frugivorous Drosophila larvae, are assumed to be competitors. Olfactometer experiments showed, however, that the species differ in their preference for microhabitat odours. Whereas A. tabida prefers a fresh fermenting sugar/yeast medium, L. heterotoma prefers this medium in a later stage of decay. These results are confirmed by field observations. This temporal separation between the species, which is not complete because some multiparasitism does occur, may be one of the factors to their coexistence. Odour preference in L. heterotoma is not modified by larval conditioning, but conditioning of the adults significantly influenced their odour response. The ecological significance of such learning is discussed. It is argued that even though such behavioural flexibility may enhance foraging efficiency when resources are unpredictable, it may also influence the amount of competition between the two parasitoid species.

scholarly journals Modelling the effects of the repellent scent marks of pollinators on their foraging efficiency and the plant-pollinator community

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256929
Author(s):  
Elise Verrier ◽  
Emmanuelle Baudry ◽  
Carmen Bessa-Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Social Information ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Plant Pollinator ◽  
Source Of Information

Pollinator insects forage in complex and unpredictable resource landscapes, often using social information from congeneric individuals to acquire knowledge about their environment. It has long been recognized that this process allows them to exploit floral resources more efficiently and thus increase individual fitness. However, by creating correlations between the behaviors of pollinators within a population, this could also indirectly influence the entire plant-pollinator community. One type of social information used by pollinators is the scent mark left on the corolla of flowers by previous visitors, which can be used as a cue to avoid recently depleted resources. We developed a spatially explicit agent-based model to examine the effects, at both individual and community levels, of pollinators using these scent marks. The model simulates a population of pollinators foraging on flowers in a continuous 2D space in which we can vary the density of pollinators. We showed that the use of scent marks as a source of information significantly increased the foraging efficiency of pollinators except when competition between pollinators was very low. At the community level, this also resulted in a marked homogenization between floral resources within the landscape: in the absence of scent marks, the coefficient of variation of the remaining nectar quantity per flower strongly increased with greater pollinator competition, but it remained low at all levels of competition when scent marks were used by the pollinators. Finally, the use of scent marks markedly decreased the number of pollinator flower visits, especially at high levels of pollinator competition, which can potentially reduce the pollination service.

The biology and economic importance of rice aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae): a review

1983 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kôji Yano ◽  
Toshiro Miyake ◽  
V. F. Eastop
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Rice Fields ◽  
Irrigated Rice ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
Rice Plants ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Ecological Relationships ◽  
Root Feeding

AbstractThe biology and economic status of aphids attacking rice throughout the world is reviewed, as is the literature concerning other aphids found in or near irrigated rice fields but not usually infesting rice. Altogether, 37 species of aphids belonging to seventeen genera are considered. The aphids are dealt with in two similar–sized groups according to their feeding sites, namely root–feeding and leaf–, stem– and ear–feeding species. Aphis craccivora Koch and Myzus persicae (Sulz.) are regarded as ‘occasional rice aphids’ as they are found on rice occasionally but do not regularly infest rice plants. A. gossypü Glov. is treated as a ‘rice aphid’ although its occurrence on rice plants is also sporadic. In addition to the literature survey, additional information is given based on field collections and observations, on the rice aphid component of more than 18 000 aphids trapped in yellow pan traps, on the natural enemies reared and collected and from laboratory experiments in Japan. Unpubished information was also extracted from the data labels of the British Museum (Natural History) aphid collection. The ecological relationships between rice aphids and aphids associated with weeds near irrigated rice fields in the Yamaguchi area of Japan is discussed. Three of the rice aphids were found on 22 species of weeds and the three ‘occasional rice aphids’ also occured on 22 species of weeds. A total of 43 species of weeds harboured aphids.

scholarly journals Recruitment in Swarm-Founding Wasps:Polybia occidentalisDoes not Actively Scent-Mark Carbohydrate Food Sources

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Taylor ◽  
Erik V. Nordheim ◽  
Teresa I. Schueller ◽  
Robert L. Jeanne
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Left Behind

Scent marking food resources is expected to enhance foraging efficiency reducing search time. Many social bees exhibit this behavior, but scent-marking is absent in social wasps, except forVespa mandarinia. We tested for scent marking in the swarm-founding wasp,Polybia occidentalis. This wasp has moderately large colonies and utilizes resources that are concentrated in time and space, making scent marking profitable. Also, this wasp uses chemical markings to lead nestmates to a new nest site during swarm emigration, making it possible that it could use the same behavior to recruit nestmates to a food source. Foragers from 11 colonies were given a choice between a previously visited feeder and an unvisited one, both containing a rich, unscented sucrose solution. There was no difference in the number of visits to the two treatments. However, some individuals chose the feeder on one side more often. We conclude that foragers of this species of wasp do not use odor marks left behind by nestmates to find food, but they do exhibit the tendency, when returning to a food source that has not been depleted, to choose a resource based on its relative position, presumably by using visual cues.

Costs and Benefits of Group Foraging in the Teal (Anas Crecca)

Behaviour ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 103 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 123-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannu Pöysä
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Group Foraging ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
Anas Crecca ◽  
Feeding Methods ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
Feeding Environments ◽  
Predator Effects

AbstractThis study examines group foraging in the teal (Anas crecca) in the light of some hypothesized foraging and anti-predator effects of grouping. Results suggest that group foraging in the teal acts as an adaptation to exploit spatially and temporally variable feeding environments. First, in a particular feeding patch, teals responded numerically to the variation in prey abundance. Second, foraging groups attracted teals flying over them. Third, arrivals landed close to the foragers and copied feeding methods used by them. However, the use of marginal feeding sites within the patch increased with group size. This disadvantage and the disturbance and exploitation of prey at and near the water surface may decrease foraging efficiency in large groups. Contrary to the results of several other studies, time-budgeting advantage in terms of increased feeding time and decreased vigilance time seemed not to be an important anti-predator benefit of grouping in the teal.

scholarly journals Genome diversification in globally distributed novel marine Proteobacteria is linked to environmental adaptation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichao Zhou ◽  
Patricia Q. Tran ◽  
Kristopher Kieft ◽  
Karthik Anantharaman
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Oxidation ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Environmental Adaptation ◽  
Ecological Significance ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Metabolic Strategies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Globally Distributed ◽  
Shed Light

AbstractProteobacteria constitute the most diverse and abundant group of microbes on Earth. In productive marine environments like deep-sea hydrothermal systems, Proteobacteria have been implicated in autotrophy coupled to sulfur, methane, and hydrogen oxidation, sulfate reduction, and denitrification. Beyond chemoautotrophy, little is known about the ecological significance of novel Proteobacteria that are globally distributed and active in hydrothermal systems. Here we apply multi-omics to characterize 51 metagenome-assembled genomes from three hydrothermal vent plumes in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that are affiliated with nine novel Proteobacteria lineages. Metabolic analyses revealed these organisms to contain a diverse functional repertoire including chemolithotrophic ability to utilize sulfur and C1 compounds, and chemoorganotrophic ability to utilize environment-derived fatty acids, aromatics, carbohydrates, and peptides. Comparative genomics with marine and terrestrial microbiomes suggests that lineage-associated functional traits could explain niche specificity. Our results shed light on the ecological functions and metabolic strategies of novel Proteobacteria in hydrothermal systems and beyond, and highlight the relationship between genome diversification and environmental adaptation.

Flight speeds of parent birds feeding nestlings: maximization of foraging efficiency or food delivery rate?

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (11) ◽  
pp. 2269-2274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. McLaughlin ◽  
Robert D. Montgomerie
Keyword(s):  
Food Delivery ◽  
Flight Speed ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Flight Behaviour ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
Energy Delivery ◽  
Unit Energy ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Calcarius Lapponicus ◽  
The Cost

We examined the flight behaviour of female Lapland longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) foraging during the nestling period to determine whether they flew at speeds maximizing the overall rate of energy delivery to their nestlings (VY), or at speeds maximizing the distance travelled per unit energy expended (Vmr), as predicted by different models. The average flight speed of females was slower when they flew to closer feeding sites, suggesting that acceleration was an important component of these flights. We therefore included the cost of acceleration into the flight-speed models. Longspurs flew slightly faster, on average, than our predicted speeds for maximizing the distance travelled per unit energy expended (Vmr) but substantially lower than our predicted speeds for maximizing the overall rate of energy delivery to nestlings (VY). The fact that longspurs did not fly faster at times of increased food availability is also consistent with maximizing the distance travelled per unit energy expended, but not with maximizing the overall rate of energy delivery. Based on other studies of parent birds feeding young, we expected that longspurs would adjust their flight speeds to maximize the overall rate of energy delivery to their young. Instead, their flight behaviour was more consistent with maximizing foraging efficiency (the ratio of energy collected to energy spent).

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