I just read the most interesting thing over at the Myrmecos web site about how the red pea aphids got their color. It turns out that research has found that the color is actually a lateral transfer of genetic material that took place who knows how long ago from fungi. In other words, some of the aphids are red/pink and some are not because some of them have a naturally occurring mutation that allows them to produce carotenoids. In a given population of pea aphids they will have both pink/red and green members. That’s an entirely uncommon situation, as usually selection will result in the mutation either succeeding and propagating throughout the population or failing and disappearing.
The chances of an organism becoming infected with a fungus and then incorporating some of the genes into it’s own are very minimal, and as Alex Wild (the author of the Myrmecos blog entry) points out, this is typically something we associate with viruses.
If you’ve never read Myrmecos before, it’s a gorgeous science blog that features some incredibly beautiful pictures of tiny creepy-crawlies, and this particular entry does not skimp out on the imagery. Enjoy!
Jim
