Rapid evolution of aphid pests in agricultural environments

•Aphids cause major plant damage by ingesting sap and vectoring viral diseases.•Aphid pests can quickly respond to intense selective pressures exerted by agriculture.•They develop insecticide resistance, adapt to new plants and to natural enemies.•Cyclical parthenogenesis, high plasticity and symbionts contribute to their success. Aphids constitute a major group of crop pests that inflict serious damages to plants, both directly by ingesting phloem and indirectly as vectors of numerous diseases. In response to intense and repeated human-induced pressures, such as insecticide treatments, the use of resistant plants and biological agents, aphids have developed a series of evolutionary responses relying on adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. In this review, we highlight some remarkable evolutionary responses to anthropogenic pressures in agroecosystems and discuss the mechanisms underlying the ecological and evolutionary success of aphids. We outline the peculiar mode of reproduction, the polyphenism for biologically important traits and the diverse and flexible associations with microbial symbionts as key determinants of adaptive potential and pest status of aphids.