Fischer Melanie K., Völkl Wolfgang, Schopf Reinhard, Hoffmann Klaus H.
Department of Animal Ecology I, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
J Insect Physiol. 2002 Mar;48(3):319-326. doi: 10.1016/s0022-1910(01)00179-2.
The intensity of the mutualistic relationship between aphids and ants depends mainly on the composition and amount of honeydew. We used the model system Tanacetum vulgare-Metopeurum fuscoviride to study age-related differences in honeydew production and composition and its effect on the mutualism between M. fuscoviride and the ant Lasius niger. First and second instar larvae of M. fuscoviride produced only half of the amount of honeydew as older larvae or adults. There were, however, no differences between age classes in the total honeydew sugar concentration, which averaged approx. 80 &mgr;g sugar/&mgr;l honeydew. Honeydew sugar composition also did not differ between age classes, and melezitose was the dominant sugar (59% in all classes). The amino acid concentration, by contrast, increased significantly with aphid age, reaching 22.6 nmol per &mgr;l honeydew in adult M. fuscoviride. This increase was mainly caused by asparagine and glutamine, while there were no differences in the concentrations of the five other regularly detected amino acids and cystine, respectively. The intensity of ant-attendance was significantly lower in colonies of first and second instar larvae than in colonies of older age classes. Ant-attendance correlated with the amount of honeydew produced, and not with the total amino acid concentration.
蚜虫与蚂蚁之间互利共生关系的强度主要取决于蜜露的成分和数量。我们使用菊蒿 - 麦二叉蚜这一模型系统，来研究蜜露分泌量和成分随年龄的差异，以及这种差异对麦二叉蚜与黑蚁之间互利共生关系的影响。麦二叉蚜的一龄和二龄幼虫分泌的蜜露量仅为大龄幼虫或成虫的一半。然而，不同龄期的蜜露总糖浓度并无差异，平均约为80微克糖/微升蜜露。不同龄期的蜜露糖成分也无差异，松三糖是主要糖类（在所有龄期均占59%）。相比之下，氨基酸浓度随蚜虫年龄显著增加，在成年麦二叉蚜中达到22.6纳摩尔/微升蜜露。这种增加主要由天冬酰胺和谷氨酰胺引起，而其他五种常检测到的氨基酸和胱氨酸的浓度在不同龄期并无差异。一龄和二龄幼虫群体中蚂蚁的照料强度显著低于大龄群体。蚂蚁的照料与蜜露分泌量相关，而与总氨基酸浓度无关。
