Aphid endosymbionts revisited: molecular detection, diversity, and population dynamics.

The diversity of endosymbionts detected in the same aphid hosts often varies markedly across studies. Some of this variation may reflect genuine biological differences associated with climate, host plants, natural enemies and/or pest management, but it may also arise from the differences in molecular and analytic approaches used in detecting and characterizing endosymbiont diversity. The goal of this review is to highlight inconsistencies and how they can be resolved. This is important if the intriguing effects of endosymbionts established from detailed laboratory studies are to be linked to the dynamics of endosymbionts under field conditions. This will help further develop best practices for incorporating endosymbionts into sustainable pest management.