Due to their rapid development and explosive rate of reproduction, aphids rank among the most important crop plant pests. They extract phloem sap from host plants and excrete the excess in the form of honeydew. In addition, many aphid species damage their hosts by transmitting viruses: aphids are virus vectors. Yield losses due to viral diseases are often more serious than the direct damage due to sap extraction.

The most important vector of plant viruses worldwide is the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae. When it leaves its winter host, the peach tree, it colonizes numerous crop plants, e.g., beets, potatoes, and vegetables, and infects them with various viruses. Other aphids, such as Sitobion avenae, are specific to cereals and transmit the Barley yellow dwarf virus.

In a combination of fascinating macro sequences and 3D animations, this educational film impressively illustrates the life cycle of aphids, their behavior on winter and summer hosts, and their feeding habits. The different behavior patterns during feeding probes and prolonged feeding, which influence the mode of virus transmission (non-persistent, persistent), are presented in clear, lucidly explained video sequences. A paper insert of additional references on the interactions between plant viruses and their aphid vectors during the process of virus transmission is also included.

The Aphid: A Virus Vector addresses a wide audience, including lecturers, students of agronomy, biology, ecology and their related disciplines, as well as governmental and non-governmental advisory bodies, and last but not least, farmers.

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Scientific Advisors

Prof. Dr. Urs Wyss, Dr. Gunnar Mölck, Dr. Gert Petersen,
Institute of Phytopathology, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, Germany

Virological Advisor:
Dr. H. Josef Vetten
Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (BBA)
Institute for Plant Virology, Microbiology and Biosafety

With contributions by:
Hans-Helmut Petersen

Macro photography:
Prof. Dr. Urs Wyss, Maria Wagner

Scientific animations:
Axel Schultz, Sven Rabe

Production Manager:
Nikolaus W. Weissenhorn

Written and directed by:
Dr. Trude Hard, Dr. Rolf P. Stumm

Video Production:
STUMM-FILM Dr. Rolf Stumm Medien GmbH 

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2004 Comenius Award The oldest German and European Award for excellent educational media, the Comenius Award is given annually by The Society for Pedagogy and Information, a renowned scientific society for multimedia, educational technology, and media didactics. The recipient of this prize is selected in an independent review process according to didactic and scientific merit.

 

The Aphid: A Virus Vector DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

The download package contains the video in mp4 format and English audio. The mp4 format is compatible with most digital devices (Mac, Windows, and mobile devices).

Running time: 13 minutes

The Aphid: A Virus Vector Video Terms of Use

Standard Limited Use License (for presentations or individual use)

The Aphid: A Virus Vector is protected by copyright and its use is limited to individual use. It may be shown to, or viewed by, groups within a classroom or educational presentation setting, but may not be made available via local area network (LAN) without permission (permission for LAN also requires an additional LAN license fee). It may not be copied, or otherwise duplicated to share with other individuals in full or in part. It may not be transferred to the Internet in full or in part.

Local Area Network (LAN) License Upgrade (for multiple user access)

The video files and their content may not be run concurrently on more than one computer and may not be networked unless an upgraded Local Area Network (LAN) License is purchased. If a LAN License is purchased, its use is limited to a specific site access and must be controlled to include only staff and/or students at that location. Within the LAN License the videos may be shown with the same privileges as the Limited Use License and also allows the videos to be viewed by students and staff autonomously as long as they are limited to access from the specified single location. If you are interested in a single-site LAN license for this product, the additional cost is $300, please contact aps@scisoc.org.

If you are uncertain which license privileges you qualify for, please contact aps@scisoc.org. Distribution without the permission of the publishers is prohibited. Infringements will be prosecuted under civil and criminal law.

Publish Date: 2008
Format: mp4 video file
Running time: 13 minutes
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-89054-647-5