The diversity and host interactions of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on different plant communities in an urban ecosystem1

The aim of this study was to reveal the diversity and host interactions of aphids on different plant communities in an urban ecosystem in the northwest of Turkiye between April and October from 2021 to 2022. From the sampling, 55 aphids from 26 genera in the family Aphididae (Hemiptera) on 65 host plant of 26 families were determined. From the aphids, Capitophorus archangelskii Nevsky, 1928 and Uroleucon leontodontis (Hille Ris Lambers, 1939) are found to be new to the aphid fauna of Turkiye. In the urban ecosystem, 108 interactions between aphids and hosts, including the new records of the interactions for Turkiye were identified on different plant communities. Also, we revealed the biodiversity of aphids and hosts interactions in various plant communities in the urban ecosystem. Our results showed that the species richness and abundance of aphids were significantly higher on the herbaceous plants compared to other communities. Also, interactions between aphids and their hosts in the herbaceous plants were more diverse than the trees and shrubs. Accordingly, the results of our study revealed that biodiversity of interactions between aphids and their hosts was higher on the herbaceous plants compared to other plant communities in the urban ecosystem.