| dc.description.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. | en |
