Small-scale vegetation patterns in the parental environment influence the phase state of hatchlings of the desert locust

• Published in: Physiological entomology Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 74 - 81
• Main Authors: Despland, E., Simpson, S. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.03.2000; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Epigenetic; gregarization; locust; maternal inheritance; Schistocerca gregaria; spatial pattern; vegetation distribution phase change

Summary Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria Forskål (Orthoptera: Acrididae)) change phase in response to population density. Solitarious insects avoid one another; when crowded, they shift to the gregarious phase and aggregate. Laboratory experiments and individual‐based modelling have shown that...