Comparative genome and transcriptome analyses reveal innate differences in response to host plants by two color forms of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae.

Our research revealed that forms of T. urticae differ in host-determined transcription responses and that there is form-dependent plasticity in the transcriptomic responses. These differences may facilitate the extreme polyphagy shown by spider mites, although fitness differences on hosts are also influenced by population differences unrelated to color form.