DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Exploring the Form & Function of Intergall Migration in the Social Aphid, Pemphigus obesinymphae

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Moran9902331Aphids are small insects that feed on plants. A few aphid species are 'social': some individuals act as 'soldiers', self-sacrificially defending the colony by attacking predaceous enemies. In some species, soldiers are reproductively sterile; in some, soldiers will even attack and bite humans, much like ants, wasps and bees. It is not yet known why some aphids have these soldiers, whereas others do not. For groups like wasps and bees, researchers have debated the relative roles of familial relatedness versus ecological factors (like predation and parasitism) in favoring sociality and cooperation. Aphids represent an independent and unexplored group within which to examine these issues. In a social aphid species in southern Arizona, individuals move between colonies, reducing the genetic relatedness within each colony. This project will utilize molecular tools to quantify relatedness within colonies and to look at the effects of genetic relatedness for social behavior. The results will contribute to our growing understanding of why a variety of animals have made the transition to cooperative societies. More broadly, the research will help to elucidate the relationship between dispersal, genetic variation, and behavior in social insects. Social insect studies are important model organisms for developing and testing theories of sociality that are relevant to all social animals.