Two distinct aphid diapause strategies: slow development or development arrest

Roma Durak; Martyna Materowska; Beata Borowiak-Sobkowiak; Sławomir Bartoszewski

doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104569

Two distinct aphid diapause strategies: slow development or development arrest

J Insect Physiol. 2023 Nov:150:104569. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104569. Epub 2023 Sep 19.

Authors

Roma Durak¹, Martyna Materowska², Beata Borowiak-Sobkowiak³, Sławomir Bartoszewski²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Biology, University of Rzeszów, Pigonia 1, 35-310, Rzeszów, Poland. Electronic address: rdurak@ur.edu.pl.
² Institute of Biology, University of Rzeszów, Pigonia 1, 35-310, Rzeszów, Poland.
³ Department of Entomology and Environmental Protection, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 159, PL-60-594 Poland.

PMID: 37734703
DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104569

Abstract

Aphids adapt to unfavourable environmental conditions, such as low temperatures in winter, by laying diapausing eggs that overwinter. Diapause is a stress-resistant and developmentally arrested stage that can be adopted in order to increase the chance of survival in adverse environmental conditions. The diapause process of aphids is still very poorly understood. We followed the development of two species of aphids, Brachycorynella asparagi and Appendiseta robiniae, using the immunostained embryos of the aphids to identify mitotic cell divisions. Two different models of aphid diapause were demonstrated for the first time. In the first strategy, the embryo developed continuously during winter diapause, while in the second case, there was an embryonic arrest. The possibility of slow development of the whole body during diapause is a characteristic feature of aphids. The link to the plant's phenology appears to be a key factor in determining the diapause strategy in aphids.

Keywords: Aphid; Development; Diapause; Insect.