ENT 532 Fall 2024: Image of aphids (Aphididae) and Spittlebugs (Aphrophoridae) on goldenrod (Solidago sp.)

While observing a patch of Goldenrod (Solidago sp.) at the edge of a field, I noticed that many plants had aphids (Aphididae) or froghopper nymphs (Aphrophoridae) on their stems. A small subset of the plants had both. Observing one of these plants closely, I saw that several aphids appeared to be caught in the foam produced by the nymphs. Although I know that froghoppers only eat plant material, this made me wonder whether excreting foam like this would be an effective method of trapping prey. I was also curious about the less obvious interactions that occur when aphids and froghoppers feed on the same plant. Does the presence of one plant-feeding insect on a plant reduce the desirability of that plant to another insect? Since aphids feed on phloem and froghopper nymphs feed on xylem, does this mean that there isn’t any meaningful competition between the two? Or does depleting one affect the quality of the other? Certainly, enough herbivory can kill a plant, making it unusable regardless of which part an insect eats. I wonder if given the choice, aphids would choose to feed on a plant that has no other insects on it over a plant that has froghopper nymphs. What if given the choice between a plants with froghopper nymphs and another aphid species?

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Work Title ENT 532 Fall 2024: Image of aphids (Aphididae) and Spittlebugs (Aphrophoridae) on goldenrod (Solidago sp.)
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Ella Messner
Keyword
  1. aphid
  2. spittlebug
  3. ENT532
License CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication)
Work Type Image
Publication Date September 24, 2024
DOI doi:10.26207/9bh1-9816
Geographic Area
  1. Huston Township, Pennsylvania, USA
Deposited September 24, 2024

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Updated
  • Updated Keyword, Geographic Area, Description, and 1 more Show Changes
    Keyword
    • aphid, spittlebug, ENT532
    Geographic Area
    • Huston Township, Pennsylvania, USA
    Description
    • While observing a patch of Goldenrod (Solidago sp.) at the edge of a field, I noticed that many plants had aphids (Aphididae) or froghopper nymphs (Aphrophoridae) on their stems. A small subset of the plants had both. Observing one of these plants closely, I saw that several aphids appeared to be caught in the foam produced by the nymphs. Although I know that froghoppers only eat plant material, this made me wonder whether excreting foam like this would be an effective method of trapping prey. I was also curious about the less obvious interactions that occur when aphids and froghoppers feed on the same plant. Does the presence of one plant-feeding insect on a plant reduce the desirability of that plant to another insect? Since aphids feed on phloem and froghopper nymphs feed on xylem, does this mean that there isn’t any meaningful competition between the two? Or does depleting one affect the quality of the other? Certainly, enough herbivory can kill a plant, making it unusable regardless of which part an insect eats. I wonder if given the choice, aphids would choose to feed on a plant that has no other insects on it over a plant that has froghopper nymphs. What if given the choice between a plants with froghopper nymphs and another aphid species?
    Publication Date
    • 2024-09-24
  • Added Creator Ella Messner
  • Added ENT532 Aphids and Spittlebugs.jpg
  • Updated License Show Changes
    License
    • http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated Work Title Show Changes
    Work Title
    • ENT532: Image of aphids (Aphididae) and Spittlebugs (Aphrophoridae) on goldenrod (Solidago sp.)
    • ENT 532 Fall 2024: Image of aphids (Aphididae) and Spittlebugs (Aphrophoridae) on goldenrod (Solidago sp.)