Influence of Bacterial Secondary Symbionts in on Its Survival Fitness against Entomopathogenic Fungi, and .

The research was focused on the ability of wheat aphids , harboring bacterial secondary symbionts (BSS) or , to withstand exposure to fungal isolates of and . In comparison to aphids lacking bacterial secondary symbionts, BSS considerably increased the lifespan of wheat aphids exposed to strains (Bb1022, EABb04/01-Tip) and strains (ART 2825 and BIPESCO 5) and also reduced the aphids' mortality. The wheat aphid clones lacking bacterial secondary symbionts were shown to be particularly vulnerable to strain BIPESCO 5.

Transgenerational phenotypic plasticity of diapause induction and related fitness cost in a commercial strain of the parasitoid Aphidius ervi Haliday.

Diapause is an adaptation that insects have evolved to synchronize their life cycle with that of seasonal climatic changes and resources availability. However, cues for its induction are not always clear and, in some cases, a maternal effect may be involved. At the population level, just a part of the individuals may exhibit diapause with important consequences in terms of winter survival.