The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Behavioural side effects of insecticide resistance in aphids increase their vulnerability to parasitoid attack

Behavioural side effects of insecticide resistance in aphids increase their vulnerability to parasitoid attack
Behavioural side effects of insecticide resistance in aphids increase their vulnerability to parasitoid attack
Previous studies using the aphid Myzus persicae have shown that strong heritable variability in a defence behaviour, response to aphid alarm pheromone, is consistently associated with the possession of two insecticide resistance mechanisms. Insecticide-susceptible and -resistant aphids therefore provide the ideal biological material for testing the hypothesis that interactions with the third trophic level (parasitoids) can play a significant inhibitory role in the evolution of adaptive traits at the second trophic level (aphids), based on a fitness trade-off between resistance to insecticides and avoidance of parasitism through defence behaviour. Eight parthenogenetic M. persicae clones, representing different insecticide resistance genotypes, were exposed to alarm pheromone to confirm their level of response. Observations of these clones during periods of exposure to adult female parasitoids, Diaeretiella rapae, were then made in small-scale arenas in the presence and absence of measured amounts of alarm pheromone. Clones showing a consistently high alarm response (insecticide-susceptible forms) displayed a range of behaviours during and after parasitoid attack that were significantly associated with greater survival (avoidance of parasitism) compared with aphids showing a low alarm response (insecticide-resistant forms). Furthermore, this culminated in the latter suffering significantly higher levels of mummification. These data not only provide important empirical evidence that a normal (wild-type) high aphid alarm response reduces vulnerability to parasitoid attack but also represent the first example of insecticide resistance genes having negative pleiotropic effects on fitness by producing maladaptive behaviours in the context of selection imposed by a higher trophic level.
0003-3472
621-632
Foster, S.P.
da76ccb7-a917-4b75-b1be-0cb5bd74b352
Tomiczek, M.
f1725993-48b2-482b-b092-34e15a8f0771
Thompson, R.
67564738-11f6-4b13-b0f5-48eb4ce12b96
Denholm, I.
c1a2523f-69de-44a0-b60b-716f0082498a
Poppy, G.
e18524cf-10ae-4ab4-b50c-e73e7d841389
Kraaijeveld, Alex R.
4af1791a-15cf-48b9-9fd8-b3a7fb450409
Powell, W.
fe039729-4de2-42c0-8f37-bd7db4bf9703
Foster, S.P.
da76ccb7-a917-4b75-b1be-0cb5bd74b352
Tomiczek, M.
f1725993-48b2-482b-b092-34e15a8f0771
Thompson, R.
67564738-11f6-4b13-b0f5-48eb4ce12b96
Denholm, I.
c1a2523f-69de-44a0-b60b-716f0082498a
Poppy, G.
e18524cf-10ae-4ab4-b50c-e73e7d841389
Kraaijeveld, Alex R.
4af1791a-15cf-48b9-9fd8-b3a7fb450409
Powell, W.
fe039729-4de2-42c0-8f37-bd7db4bf9703

Foster, S.P., Tomiczek, M., Thompson, R., Denholm, I., Poppy, G., Kraaijeveld, Alex R. and Powell, W. (2007) Behavioural side effects of insecticide resistance in aphids increase their vulnerability to parasitoid attack. Animal Behaviour, 74 (3), 621-632. (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.12.018).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Previous studies using the aphid Myzus persicae have shown that strong heritable variability in a defence behaviour, response to aphid alarm pheromone, is consistently associated with the possession of two insecticide resistance mechanisms. Insecticide-susceptible and -resistant aphids therefore provide the ideal biological material for testing the hypothesis that interactions with the third trophic level (parasitoids) can play a significant inhibitory role in the evolution of adaptive traits at the second trophic level (aphids), based on a fitness trade-off between resistance to insecticides and avoidance of parasitism through defence behaviour. Eight parthenogenetic M. persicae clones, representing different insecticide resistance genotypes, were exposed to alarm pheromone to confirm their level of response. Observations of these clones during periods of exposure to adult female parasitoids, Diaeretiella rapae, were then made in small-scale arenas in the presence and absence of measured amounts of alarm pheromone. Clones showing a consistently high alarm response (insecticide-susceptible forms) displayed a range of behaviours during and after parasitoid attack that were significantly associated with greater survival (avoidance of parasitism) compared with aphids showing a low alarm response (insecticide-resistant forms). Furthermore, this culminated in the latter suffering significantly higher levels of mummification. These data not only provide important empirical evidence that a normal (wild-type) high aphid alarm response reduces vulnerability to parasitoid attack but also represent the first example of insecticide resistance genes having negative pleiotropic effects on fitness by producing maladaptive behaviours in the context of selection imposed by a higher trophic level.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 1 September 2007

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 43238
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/43238
ISSN: 0003-3472
PURE UUID: d455b8d9-3246-4fe2-94ff-b8bfdf2745b8
ORCID for Alex R. Kraaijeveld: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8543-2640

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 18 Jan 2007
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:48

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: S.P. Foster
Author: M. Tomiczek
Author: R. Thompson
Author: I. Denholm
Author: G. Poppy
Author: W. Powell

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×