Scholarlink

<p>Aphids are among the most economically destructive agricultural pests worldwide and are highly specialized phloem feeders. Their success relies on complex interactions with plant vascular tissues and their microbial symbionts. Despite significant advances in aphid biology, current management strategies remain largely chemical-based, partly due to an incomplete understanding of their feeding mechanisms and nutritional requirements. Phloem sap provides aphids with abundant carbohydrates but is deficient in essential amino acids, vitamins, and sterols, creating significant nutritional challenges. Aphids overcome these limitations through a tightly co-evolved mutualism with endosymbionts, which supplement missing nutrients and modulate host physiology. Their feeding process involves precise stylet navigation to the phloem, complemented by intermittent xylem ingestion to regulate osmotic pressure from the sugar-rich sap. Plant traits, including genotype, developmental stage, and defense chemistry, dynamically shape phloem composition and, consequently, aphid fitness. Advances in omics and analytical chemistry have revealed a nutritional interface far more complex than previously understood, involving a bidirectional molecular exchange of proteins, secondary metabolites, and small RNAs. Methodological barriers, such as obtaining uncontaminated phloem samples and interpreting Electrical Penetration Graph waveforms, continue to pose challenges to a complete understanding of aphid nutritional ecology. This review synthesizes current knowledge of plant sap composition, aphid nutrient acquisition, symbiont-mediated supplementation, and physiological adaptations for osmoregulation. It also highlights how environmental factors reshape nutritional landscapes and drive specialist versus generalist feeding strategies. By identifying critical knowledge gaps and emerging biotechnological tools, we outline future research directions aimed at exploiting nutritional vulnerabilities for sustainable and targeted aphid management.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

The nutritional interface between plants and aphids: mechanisms, constraints, adaptations and knowledge gaps

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

查看全文
  • Heena Puri,
  • Esha Kaler,
  • Sahil Pawar,
  • Gagandeep Brar,
  • Kashish Verma,
  • Sanket Shinde,
  • Sajjan Grover

摘要

Aphids are among the most economically destructive agricultural pests worldwide and are highly specialized phloem feeders. Their success relies on complex interactions with plant vascular tissues and their microbial symbionts. Despite significant advances in aphid biology, current management strategies remain largely chemical-based, partly due to an incomplete understanding of their feeding mechanisms and nutritional requirements. Phloem sap provides aphids with abundant carbohydrates but is deficient in essential amino acids, vitamins, and sterols, creating significant nutritional challenges. Aphids overcome these limitations through a tightly co-evolved mutualism with endosymbionts, which supplement missing nutrients and modulate host physiology. Their feeding process involves precise stylet navigation to the phloem, complemented by intermittent xylem ingestion to regulate osmotic pressure from the sugar-rich sap. Plant traits, including genotype, developmental stage, and defense chemistry, dynamically shape phloem composition and, consequently, aphid fitness. Advances in omics and analytical chemistry have revealed a nutritional interface far more complex than previously understood, involving a bidirectional molecular exchange of proteins, secondary metabolites, and small RNAs. Methodological barriers, such as obtaining uncontaminated phloem samples and interpreting Electrical Penetration Graph waveforms, continue to pose challenges to a complete understanding of aphid nutritional ecology. This review synthesizes current knowledge of plant sap composition, aphid nutrient acquisition, symbiont-mediated supplementation, and physiological adaptations for osmoregulation. It also highlights how environmental factors reshape nutritional landscapes and drive specialist versus generalist feeding strategies. By identifying critical knowledge gaps and emerging biotechnological tools, we outline future research directions aimed at exploiting nutritional vulnerabilities for sustainable and targeted aphid management.