Host-plant genotypic diversity and community genetic interactions mediate aphid spatial distribution.

ABSTRACT: Genetic variation in plants can influence the community structure of associated species, through both direct and indirect interactions. Herbivorous insects are known to feed on a restricted range of plants, and herbivore preference and performance can vary among host plants within a species due to genetically based traits of the plant (e.g., defensive compounds). In a natural system, we expect to find genetic variation within both plant and herbivore communities and we expect this variation to influence species interactions. Using a three-species plant-aphid model system, we investigated the effect of genetic diversity on genetic interactions among the community members. Our system involved a host plant (Hordeum vulgare) that was shared by an aphid (Sitobion avenae) and a hemi-parasitic pl

SUBMITTER: Zytynska SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3925376 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature