The Right Hitchhiker Can Save An Aphid's Life
5th Sep 2005, 11:56 GMT
Having the right bacteria can be a lifesaver for an aphid. Having the wrong bacteria, or no bacteria at all, could be a recipe for becoming wasp fodder. Pea aphids vary in their resistance to parasitoid wasps, which scientists chalked up to genetic differences between aphids. But it's not in their genes at all -- the wasp-resistant aphids owe their lives to the symbiotic bacteria carried within the aphids, according to new research.