Molecular Entomology Laboratory, RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, Wako 351-0198, Japan.
Science. 2010 Nov 19;330(6007):1102-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1195463.
Color variation within populations of the pea aphid influences relative susceptibility to predators and parasites. We have discovered that infection with a facultative endosymbiont of the genus Rickettsiella changes the insects' body color from red to green in natural populations. Approximately 8% of pea aphids collected in Western Europe carried the Rickettsiella infection. The infection increased amounts of blue-green polycyclic quinones, whereas it had less of an effect on yellow-red carotenoid pigments. The effect of the endosymbiont on body color is expected to influence prey-predator interactions, as well as interactions with other endosymbionts.
种群内的豌豆蚜颜色变化影响其对捕食者和寄生虫的相对易感性。我们发现，一种兼性内生共生菌属雷克斯氏菌的感染会使昆虫的体色从红色变为绿色。在西欧采集的豌豆蚜中，约有 8%携带雷克斯氏菌感染。这种感染增加了蓝绿色多环醌的含量，而对红黄类胡萝卜素色素的影响则较小。内共生体对体色的影响预计会影响猎物-捕食者的相互作用，以及与其他内共生体的相互作用。
