Profiling the repertoire of phenotypes influenced by environmental cues that occur during asexual reproduction.

ABSTRACT: The aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum population is composed of different morphs, such as winged and wingless parthenogens, males, and sexual females. The combined effect of reduced photoperiodicity and cold in fall triggers the apparition of sexual morphs. In contrast they reproduce asexually in spring and summer. In our current study, we provide evidence that clonal individuals display phenotypic variability within asexual morph categories. We describe that clones sharing the same morphological features, which arose from the same founder mother, constitute a repertoire of variants with distinct behavioral and physiological traits. Our results suggest that the prevailing environmental conditions influence the recruitment of adaptive phenotypes from a cohort of clonal individuals exhibiting consid

SUBMITTER: Dombrovsky A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2775594 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature