Entomopathogenic fungi are essential participants in ecosystems that help regulate arthropod communities. Many of them have a symbiotic-endophytic relationship with plants, endowing them with insecticidal or insect-repellent traits, which could be exploited for insect control in agriculture. Among insects, aphids are one of the most harmful taxa; they damage plants directly by sucking plant sap or indirectly by transmitting economically important viruses. Plant infestation by aphids depends on prefeeding activities related to host identification, particularly leaf walking and short probing. Although several aspects of aphid prefeeding activities have been studied in different hosts, this behavior has not been examined on plants colonized by entomopathogenic fungi. Here, we studied the effects of three strawberry endophytic entomopathogenic fungi, namely, Beauveria bassiana, Isaria fumosorosea and Metarhizium anisopliae var. robertsii, on the prefeeding activity of the aphid Myzus persicae by monitoring aphids feeding on leaves of fungus colonized and uncolonized plants. Our analysis revealed that the endophytes significantly affected aphid prefeeding behavior, which was typified by a reduction of the expected mean number of short probes, an avoidance to make a second probe, and a high propensity for abandoning the leaf. We discuss possible mechanisms of fungal interference with aphid activity.

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三种草莓昆虫病原真菌对桃蚜摄食行为的影响

昆虫病原真菌是生态系统中必不可少的参与者，有助于调节节肢动物群落。它们中的许多与植物具有共生 - 内生关系，赋予它们杀虫或驱虫特性，可用于农业昆虫控制。在昆虫中，蚜虫是危害最大的类群之一；它们通过吸食植物汁液直接损害植物，或通过传播具有重要经济意义的病毒间接损害植物。蚜虫对植物的侵染取决于与宿主识别相关的预取食活动，特别是叶片行走和短距离探测。尽管已经在不同宿主中研究了蚜虫预取食活动的几个方面，但尚未在被昆虫病原真菌定殖的植物上研究过这种行为。在这里，我们研究了三种草莓内生昆虫病原真菌的作用，即白僵菌、烟叶蓝芽孢杆菌和绿僵菌变种。robertsii，通过监测蚜虫以真菌定植和未定植植物的叶子为食，研究桃蚜的摄食前活动。我们的分析表明，内生菌显着影响蚜虫的摄食行为，其典型特征是短探针的预期平均数量减少、避免制作第二个探针以及放弃叶子的高倾向。我们讨论真菌干扰蚜虫活动的可能机制。我们的分析表明，内生菌显着影响蚜虫的摄食行为，其典型特征是短探针的预期平均数量减少、避免制作第二个探针以及放弃叶子的高倾向。我们讨论真菌干扰蚜虫活动的可能机制。我们的分析表明，内生菌显着影响蚜虫的摄食行为，其典型特征是短探针的预期平均数量减少、避免制作第二个探针以及放弃叶子的高倾向。我们讨论真菌干扰蚜虫活动的可能机制。