Drought and heat waves associated with climate change affect performance of the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae

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dc.contributor.author Beetge, Lezel
dc.contributor.author Kruger, Kerstin
dc.date.accessioned 2019-08-26T12:32:35Z
dc.date.available 2019-08-26T12:32:35Z
dc.date.issued 2019-03-06
dc.description.abstract The combined effect of drought and heat waves on insect-plant interactions is complex and not fully understood. Insects may indirectly benefit from water-deficit stress through increased plant nitrogen levels. Heat stress may have a direct negative effect, yet insect performance may be improved when day-time heat is followed by cooler night temperatures. We show that moderate water-deficit stress (25–30% pot capacity) and high day-night temperatures (30/20 °C) affected Macrosiphum euphorbiae on potato (Solanum tuberosum) differently than their interactions. Water stress lowered stomatal conductance, and both water and heat stress reduced leaf area. The effect of water stress on nymphal and adult survival depended on temperature. Water stress added to reduced nymphal survival at high but not current (25/15 °C) day-night temperatures. Adult survival at high temperatures was reduced only when combined with water stress. Water stress and high temperatures independently but not interactively reduced the number of daily offspring. Moderate water stress when combined with high temperatures had a negative bottom-up effect on aphid survival even though lower night temperatures aided in the recovery from direct heat stress. Our study illustrates the importance of combining multiple stressors to better understand their impact on insect-plant interactions in the context of climate change. en_ZA
dc.description.department Zoology and Entomology en_ZA
dc.description.librarian am2019 en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorship Potatoes South Africa, the Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) and the University of Pretoria. Lezel Beetge received an MSc bursary from the Potato Industry Development Trust. en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.nature.com/srep en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Beetge, L. & Kruger, K. 2019, 'Drought and heat waves associated with climate change affect performance of the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae', Scientific Reports, vol. 9, art. 3645, pp. 1-9. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 2045-2322 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1038/s41598-018-37493-8
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/71208
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Nature Publishing Group en_ZA
dc.rights © The Author(s) 2019. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. en_ZA
dc.subject Drought en_ZA
dc.subject Climate change en_ZA
dc.subject Macrosiphum euphorbiae en_ZA
dc.subject Heat wave en_ZA
dc.subject Potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) en_ZA
dc.title Drought and heat waves associated with climate change affect performance of the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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