Why some aphids can't stand the heat

For pea aphids, the ability to go forth and multiply can depend on a single gene, according to new research.

An overheated aphid with a mutation in that gene can't reproduce.

The gene isn't even in the insect -- it's in tiny symbiotic bacteria housed inside special cells inside the aphid.

"It's the first time a mutation in a symbiont has been shown to have a huge impact on host ecology," said Nancy A. Moran, Regents' Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at The University of Arizona in Tucson. "One version of the gene is good if the aphids experience heat, and the other version is good if they are in cool conditions."

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