Jak owady oligofagi odnajdują odpowiednie rośliny żywicielskie w zróżnicowanym biologicznie środowisku?

Abstract

The process of host plant selection by aphids is very specific among insects. Aphids have a complicated life-cycle with cyclical parthenogenesis and the occurrence of different morphs of which the alatae and apterae co-exist during the vegetation season. Most of aphid species show a distinct host plant specificity while feeding mainly on the phloem sap, and lacking external contact chemoreceptors on their mouthparts. This paper is an attempt to present the complex process of host plant selection by these insects, using an example of a well-studied monoecious oligophagous species, the cabbage aphid Brevicoryne brassicae (L.). B. brassicae is a pest insect of the still-increasing economic importance in the temperate regions of the world, and its widely understood ecology has been a subject of many extensive scientific studies. The following aspects of host plant location and selection by aphids are presented: locomotory activity, directed flight, landing, testing of the plant, and probing and feeding behaviour. The effect of environmental factors (solar radiation, mineral composition of the soil, soil water content) and plant properties (plant morphology, surface chemicals, plant odours, plant sap quality, plant allelochemicals) on the successive stages of host plant selection are discussed.