Scale insects form separate genetic demes on each individual host tree

Evidence

Phytophagous insect populations can differentiate genetically within patches of long-lived host plants, as Edmunds and Alstad (1978) demonstrated for the black pineleaf scale (Nuculaspis California) on P. ponder osa. As a result, the outcome of these interactions changes within a patch over time. Intertree and intratree transfers of the scales showed that scales transferred between trees had much lower survival than scales transferred within trees. Hence, the scale population within a patch is actually a series of demes, each tree harboring a separate deme. — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1651

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Within-patch population dynamics partly result from sorting of genotypes over time — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1639; Restricted dispersal alone can generate persistent patchy genetic variation even in large populations — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1822

Broader Connections

• Restricted dispersal alone can generate persistent patchy genetic variation even in large populations #corroborates (0.85) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1822
• Within-patch population dynamics partly result from sorting of genotypes over time #expands (0.80) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1639