CAN CLIMATE CHANGE INFLUENCE INSECT CHOICE? IMPACT OF ELEVATED CO₂ CONCENTRATION ON APHID PREFERENCES

The impact of climate change on plant-insect interactions remains understudied. It is of particular importance as regard to the economically dimension of some crop plants and to the pest status of some insect species. In this study, we raised the hypothesis that elevated CO₂ concentration will impact the relation between a plant (Vicia faba) and its pest aphid (Aphis fabae). Plants were grown on controlled chambers under two CO₂ concentrations (ambient concentration: 450 ppm ±50; elevated concentration: ambient + 350 ppm). To evaluate the influence of plants grown under different CO₂ atmospheric concentrations on aphids’ preferences, dual choice assays were conducted in flight tunnels. Aphids significantly (Kruskal-Wallis chi-squared = 5.3333, df = 5, p-value = 0.03766) show a preference for plants grown under elevated CO₂ concentration. This could be linked to changes in the semiochemistry of these plants.