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The effect of microhabitat feeding site selection on aphid foraging and predation risk

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Abstract

Organisms attempt to optimize foraging by maximizing resource acquisition while minimizing predation risk. Aphids (group-living, phloem-feeding insects) routinely change feeding positions and interact with predators and parasites at the single-leaf scale. Here, we assess the life history and predation risk consequences of within-leaf feeding site choices in pea aphids in response to different natural enemies. First, three-chambered clip cages were used to isolate first instar aphids anterior and posterior to a centrally feeding adult on the underside of a single broad bean leaf. Development time to adulthood did not differ between feeding sites, nor did fecundity within the first 24 h of reproduction. Second, we recorded the frequency and latency of natural enemy attacks on aphids adhered to three leaf sites, matching those of the clip cage experiment, on the underside of a single leaf. Aphids feeding nearest the leaf petiole were at greatest risk of predation by a foliar foraging coccinellid predator, Hippodamia convergens, but not by a parasitoid wasp, Aphidius ervi. Thus, feeding nearer the leaf petiole provided no individual life history benefits and exposes the aphid to increased predation risk. We further discuss the notion that feeding at these sites may provide inclusive fitness benefits for colony mates via alarm signaling and subsequent decreased predation success.

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Acknowledgments

We thank S.P. Vives, D.K. McLain, J.N. Pruitt, and two anonymous reviewers for comments, which significantly improved the manuscript and B.A. Cantwell for laboratory and greenhouse assistance. We thank K. Oliver for providing parasitoids. Funding for this project was provided by the Department of Biology at Georgia Southern University and the Georgia Entomological Society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8042, Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA

    Carl N. Keiser, Lauren E. Sheeks & Edward B. Mondor

  2. Department of Biological Science, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA

    Carl N. Keiser

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  1. Carl N. Keiser
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  2. Lauren E. Sheeks
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  3. Edward B. Mondor
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Correspondence to Carl N. Keiser.

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Keiser, C.N., Sheeks, L.E. & Mondor, E.B. The effect of microhabitat feeding site selection on aphid foraging and predation risk. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 7, 633–641 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-013-9279-7

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