Environmental stressors can be key drivers of phenotypes, including reproductive strategies and morphological traits. The response to stress may be altered by the presence of microbial associates. For example, in aphids, facultative (secondary) bacterial symbionts can provide protection against natural enemies and stress induced by elevated temperatures. Furthermore, aphids exhibit phenotypic plasticity, producing winged (rather than wingless) progeny that may be better able to escape danger, and the combination of these factors improves the response to stress. How symbionts and phenotypic plasticity, both of which shape aphids' stress response, influence one another, and together influence host fitness, remains unclear. In this study, we investigate how environmental stressors drive shifts in fecundity and winged/wingless offspring production, and how secondary symbionts influence the process. We induced production of winged offspring through distinct environmental stressors, including exposure to aphid alarm pheromone and crowding, and, in one experiment, we assessed whether the aphid response is influenced by host plant. In the winged morph, energy needed for wing maintenance may lead to trade-offs with other traits, such as reproduction or symbiont maintenance. Potential trade-offs between symbiont maintenance and fitness have been proposed but have not been tested. Thus, beyond studying the production of offspring of alternative morphs, we also explore the influence of symbionts across wing/wingless polyphenism as well as symbiont interaction with cross-generational impacts of environmental stress on reproductive output. All environmental stressors resulted in increased production of winged offspring and shifts in fecundity rates. Additionally, in some cases, aphid host-by-symbiont interactions influenced fecundity. Stress on first-generation aphids had cross-generational impacts on second-generation adults, and the impact on fecundity was further influenced by the presence of secondary symbionts and presence/absence of wings. Our study suggests a complex interaction between beneficial symbionts and environmental stressors. Winged aphids have the advantage of being able to migrate out of danger with more ease, but energy needed for wing production and maintenance may come with reproductive costs for their mothers and for themselves, where in certain cases, these costs are altered by secondary symbionts.

• MeSH
• Bacteria MeSH
• Pisum sativum MeSH
• Wings, Animal MeSH
• Aphids * MeSH
• Symbiosis MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH

• MeSH
• Research Support as Topic MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Wings, Animal anatomy & histology   MeSH
• Butterflies anatomy & histology   genetics   MeSH
• Pigmentation physiology   MeSH
• Seasons MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Comparative Study MeSH

Aphids display an extraordinary phenotypic plasticity ranging from widespread reproductive and wing polyphenisms to the occurrence of sterile or subfertile soldier morphs restricted to eusocial species of the subfamilies Eriosomatinae and Hormaphidinae. Individual morphs are specialized by their behavior, anatomy, and physiology to perform different roles in aphid societies at different stages of the life cycle. The capacity of the insects to cope with environmental stressors is under the control of a group of neuropeptides of the adipokinetic hormone/red pigment-concentrating hormone family (AKH/RPCH) that bind to a specific receptor (AKHR). Here, we describe the molecular characteristics of AKH and AKHR in the eusocial aphid Pseudoregma bambucicola. The sequence of the bioactive AKH decapeptide and the intron position in P. bambucicola AKH preprohormone were found to be identical to those in a phylogenetically distant aphid Dreyfusia spp. (Adelgidae). We detected four transcript variants of AKHR that are translated into three protein isoforms. Further, we analyzed AKH/AKHR expression in different tissues and insects of different castes. In wingless females, a remarkable amount of AKH mRNA was only expressed in the heads. In contrast, AKHR transcript levels increased in the order gut

• MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Insect Hormones genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Insect Proteins MeSH
• Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
• Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid analogs & derivatives   metabolism   MeSH
• RNA, Messenger genetics   MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Aphids genetics   growth & development   metabolism   MeSH
• Oligopeptides genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
• Receptors, Glucagon genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Amino Acid Sequence MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH