An aphid species has "soldiers" who often die in the process of repairing damage to galls, the homes that aphids force their plant hosts to grow.
The aphids crowd around a hole in the gall and squeeze out a fluid comprising two-thirds of their body size, using their legs to mix it and form a "scab".
Full recovery of the plant tissue was only possible with the presence of the aphids after the scab formed.
The findings have been published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Many of the soldier aphids, of the species Nipponaphis monzeni, die from the significant loss of body mass. |
