Comparative Dynamics of a Single-Host Aphid: III. Movement and Population Structure

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Abstract
Morph proportions among the progeny of fundatrices reflect the length of the previous season; morph proportions in later generations are determined by current plant quality. These 2 mechanisms ensure that, in most locations, morph frequencies are close to optimal throughout the season. The species uses the environmental cues which most accurately predict the appropriate morph proportions. Movement experiments and population samples show that wingless adults tend to stay on their original host plant; winged adults move to new plants of acceptable quality, generally within a few meters of their original plant. The species avoids extinction by adjusting its distribution to the ever-changing pattern of plant quality. The classical mathematical concepts of stationarity and stability do not apply, but 2 features, density-dependent control of fecundity and adult movement, confer stability of another kind. The essential complexity can be fitted into 7 dimensions, but no fewer.

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