Ecology and genetics of the grasshopper Cornops aquaticum (Acrididae).

ADIS, J., E.G. BREDE, S. CAPELLO, M.C. FRANCESCHINI & A.L. NUNES

Kaiserslautern

Congreso; 19th Annual Conference of Society for Tropical Ecology “Connecting microbes, plants, animals and human impact”; 2006

Society for Tropical Ecology

This semi-aquatic grasshopper from South America is being considered a potential biological control agent of waterhyacinth in South Africa. Host specificity is known from native population in floodplains of Argentina and Brazil. Specificity can be suggested through correlation of life history traits with the host. Two such traits that have become apparent are that of life cycle and of instar number in juveniles on Eichhornia spp. The use of molecular markers in our study will test for correlations, indicating whether the variation represents phenotypic plasticity, genetically fixed adaptation, or an evolutionary relationship with the host-plant.