Abstract：
Whether in ant-aphid mutualism the ants exert evolutionary selection pressure on aphid morphology has not yet been fully tested. Here, we tested whether the long proboscises of Stomaphis yanonis (Aphididae Lachninae) aphids confer an advantage in preventing predation by the tending ants. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that aphids with a shorter proboscis would excrete less honeydew, making them more likely to be preyed upon by ants. Our results showed that aphid individuals with a shorter proboscis took up less phloem sap and excreted less honeydew than individuals with a longer proboscis. In addition, among aphids with a similar body size, those with a shorter proboscis were more susceptible to predation by ants than those with a longer proboscis. These results suggest that predation by tending ants, by exerting selection pressure on aphid proboscis morphology, has caused the aphids to evolve longer proboscises.
摘要：
在蚂蚁-蚜虫共生中，蚂蚁是否对蚜虫形态施加进化选择压力尚未得到充分检验。这里,我们测试了Stomaphisyanonis（AphididaeLachninae）蚜虫的长长长毛是否在防止蚂蚁捕食方面具有优势。具体来说,我们检验了长鼻较短的蚜虫会分泌较少的蜜露的假设，使它们更有可能被蚂蚁捕食。我们的结果表明，长鼻较短的蚜虫个体比长鼻的个体摄取更少的韧皮部汁液，排泄更少的蜜露。此外,在体型相似的蚜虫中，与长鼻相比，长鼻较短的人更容易被蚂蚁捕食。这些结果表明，抚育蚂蚁的捕食，通过对蚜虫形态施加选择压力，导致蚜虫进化更长的长鼻。
