Dissertation Research: Sink Strength Manipulation and Fitness of a Galling Aphid

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Shultz 9902198Plant defenses induced by herbivory are better understood than changes in host plant physiology which benefit insects. This study will examine the mechanistic bases of the ability of insects to manipulate plant physiology to their own advantage. It will use the witch hazel cone gall aphid to test hypotheses regarding the aphid's ability to alter source-sink relationships and photoassimilate allocation, the mechanism by which these alterations are effected, the adaptive value to the insect and the negative effects on hostplant biomass allocation and fitness. This area of gall biology is not well studied and this proposal has the potential to lead to valuable insights to gall forming insects and plant evolutionary biology.