Tianxia Guo¹ , Jia Xuan¹ , Jie Zhang^1,2 , Jiayao Zhou¹

1 Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, P.R. China
2 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, P.R. China
Author    Correspondence author
Molecular Entomology, 2023, Vol. 14, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/me.2023.14.0001
Received: 20 Jun., 2023    Accepted: 05 Jul., 2023    Published: 24 Jul., 2023

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Guo T.X., Xuan J., Zhang J., and Zhou J.Y., 2023, The mutually beneficial relationship between ants and aphids discussed from the perspectives of biology and biochemistry, Molecular Entomology, 14(1): 1-8 (doi: 10.5376/me.2023.14.0001)

This article explores the mutualistic relationship between ants and aphids from a biological and biochemical perspective. Aphids provide ants with honeydew rich in sugars, while ants provide aphids with services such as protection, feeding, and transportation. This mutualistic relationship is influenced by many factors, including the species, quantity, distribution of aphids, and the state of ant colonies. Additionally, biochemical studies have shown that the mutualistic relationship between aphids and ants involves a series of interactions between signaling molecules and compounds. Aphids' signaling molecules can induce ants to protect and collect aphids, while compounds secreted by ants can affect aphids' behavior and growth and development. Overall, the mutualistic relationship between ants and aphids is a complex ecosystem that is important for understanding biodiversity and ecological balance.

Ant-aphid mutualism; Ecosystem complexity; Biodiversity; Ecological balance; Inter-species relationships