Aphid Interactions with Environmental Variation in the Field and Lab
Abstract
A basic tenet of ecology is that organisms are affected by both abiotic factors and other organisms; therefore, there is value in understanding interactions in our changing world. Aphids are model organisms for questions regarding many interactions. I explored three aphid-centered studies. (1) Rearing aphids in a certain temperature changed their response to exposure to different temperatures. Short term exposure to warmer temperatures increased fecundity, but being raised in higher temperatures lowered fecundity across treatments. (2) Feeding on aphids by lady beetles in the lab was measured after exposure to varying temperatures with or without prey. Warming without prey was detrimental, but warming while continually fed invoked more predation than the cooler temperature. (3) Soybean aphids, natural enemies, and other pests vary in space and time. We surveyed soybean to explore the effect of field locations, management, and year on arthropod community structure and found a predominant year effect.