Host shifts of herbivorous insects can create new crop pests of economic importance and may be a first step toward sympatric speciation, however, the molecular mechanisms that mediate this process are poorly understood. Certain races of the polyphagous aphid Myzus persicae (the most economically important aphid pest worldwide) have recently adapted to feed on tobacco and show a reduced sensitivity to the plant alkaloid nicotine and cross-resistance to neonicotinoids, a class of synthetic insecticides widely used for control. In this talk, I will outline the results of work to i) identify the metabolic process which M. persicae nicotianae has evolved to detoxify nicotine and so allow colonization of tobacco, ii) determine the genetic changes (mutations) underpinning this adaptation, and iii) determine if the development of the mechanism to detoxify nicotine has preadapted these races to resist neonicotinoid insecticides.

Insecticide resistance in the peach potato aphid, <i>Myzus persicae</i>, Part 2: Metabolic mechanisms and host adaptation

248th National Meeting (2014)

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Insecticide resistance in the peach potato aphid, Myzus persicae, Part 2: Metabolic mechanisms and host adaptation