Aphids and Melezitose: A Test of Owen's 1978 Hypothesis
- 1 August 1980
- Vol. 35 (1) , 127-128
- https://doi.org/10.2307/3544736
Abstract
It was suggested that aphids specifically synthesize melezitose in their guts so that when it is excreted onto the soil it will stimulate soil non-symbiotic N fixation. A test of this hypothesis indicates that melezitose does increase soil N fixation, but not as much as fructose, another honeydew sugar. Melezitose is produced for other reasons, perhaps to prevent excess sugar absorption across the aphid gut wall. The significance of fructose in fruits is indicated.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: