Effect of latitude and acclimation on the lethal temperatures of the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae

摘要

1Aphids, similar to all insects, are ectothermic and, consequently, are greatly affected by environmental conditions. The peach potato aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) has a global distribution, although it is not known whether populations display regional adaptations to distinct climatic zones along its distribution and vary in their ability to withstand and acclimate to temperature extremes. In the present study, lethal temperatures were measured in nine anholocyclic clones of M. persicae collected along a latitudinal cline of its European distribution from Sweden to Spain. The effects of collection origin and intra- and intergenerational acclimation on cold and heat tolerance, as determined by upper and lower lethal temperatures (ULT₅₀ and LLT₅₀, respectively), were investigated.