Effects of insect longevity and drought conditions on aster leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) fecundity.

ABSTRACT: Insect population dynamics profoundly affect the potential for a species to serve as a pest, highlighting the importance of proper quantification and monitoring of insect reproduction. Important measurements of reproduction include individual female egg load and realized fecundity, which can be affected by insect longevity and host quality. Aster leafhoppers (Macrosteles quadrilineatus Forbes) are an important pest in Western Canada and the upper Midwest of the United States, yet little is known about factors influencing their fecundity, and thus, population dynamics. To evaluate age-specific changes in fecundity, newly emerged pairs of aster leafhoppers were caged onto plants, and egg and nymph numbers were determined on a weekly basis until females died. Moreover, water deficit can affec

SUBMITTER: Romero B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12543321 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature