Temporal changes in host adaptation in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum

1. Temporal changes in host adaptation were followed in a local population of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Aphid clones were collected in one alfalfa and one clover field at three different times. In the spring, first-generation females were collected. Later, in the autumn, females belonging to the last parthenogenetic generation were collected. Lastly, sexual females were collected after mating iri autumn and allowed to produce eggs which were hatched. The performance was evaluated on alfalfa and clover. The spring-collected individuals were also assessed on peas. 2. On the overwintering hosts clover and alfalfa, the clones performed best on the plant of origin, i.e. negative correlations in performance. Correlations between performance on the temporary summer host, pea, and that on clover/alfalfa were weak or nonsignificant. 3. Significant variation in host performance was found within both host fields at spring, which is a prerequisite for changes in clone composition due to selection/migration. 4. The clones from alfalfa showed an increase in mean performance on alfalfa between spring and autumn, whereas no changes among the clones from the clover field were observed. This difference in seasonal response between the two fields could have been the result of larger variation in performance among the alfalfa clones and/or a differential tendency to migrate among clones in both fields. 5. After sexual recombination in the autumn, mean performance in the alfalfa field returned to the spring level, probably as a result of emergence of new genetic combinations. In the clover field, mean performance did not change significantly over time.