Dendrofagous in the forest reclamation complexes with the participation of introduced tree species in arid zone conditions

Abstract

The problem of optimization of ecological conditions of urbanized and agricultural areas of the arid zone is especially urgent nowadays. Severe forest conditions make it necessary to optimize the environment due to the protective plantations of different types and ecological categories. The use of woody plants unusual for a given area as part of multifunctional stands is one of the main methods for increasing the ecological capacity of the territory, changing the structure and population of insects. The study was conducted in Volgograd, Samara and Rostov regions. By the degree of biotic potential accumulation among the trees adapted in the arid region, plants of the Ulmaceae, Rosaceae and Fabaceae families are distinguished. The introduction of woody vegetation into new territories is also accompanied by the penetration of alien species of pests. Currently, among the phyllophages of woody plants used in landscaping various landscapes, there are invader insects. In urban areas, these species are particularly closely associated with Robinia pseudoacacia L. The most numerous as part of the pests of assimilation apparatus of this plant are Obolodiplosis robiniae (Haldeman, 1847) and Nematus tibialis (Neuman, 1837). Dissemination of Robinia by these insects in the protective forest plantations varies greatly. In the roadside forest plantations and the agroforest plantations in the composition of dendroflora the species of the family Ulmaceae are predominant. Among the invasive species that appeared in them is Aproceros leucopoda (Takeuchi, 1939); in these stands, it almost completely destroys the elm foliage. In the crowns of trees of recreational landscaping, single individuals of this species are found. Among the dendrophages of the stands of urbanized and forest-agrarian landscapes, open-living leaf-eating insects giving outbreaks of mass reproduction (Xanthogaleruca luteola, Dicranura ulmi, Cladius ulmi, Aproceros leucopoda) stand out. Wide spread and increase in the number is observed in Obolodiplosis robiniae and Fenusa ulmi.

Phyllophages biotopic distribution in sparsely wooded regions plantations

“…One of the most important conditions for the functional stability of agricultural and urban landscapes is the diversity of the biota inhabiting them [1][2][3]. However, environmental problems that have become aggravated in the last decades led to the destruction of biocoenotic relations [4].…”

“…This is achieved through the creation of plantations for various functional purposes with the participation of introduced woody plants [10,11]. The important role in the formation of new communities is played by local species of arthropod-dendrobionts, which find optimal conditions for life here [1,2,12].…”

Elm zigzag sawfly, Aproceros leucopoda (Hymenoptera: Argidae), recorded for the first time in North America through community science

“…Aproceros leucopoda attracted attention as a pest of elms in China and Japan, where the species is native (Wu 2006;Blank et al 2010;Cao et al 2011). In Europe, serious damage has been reported, in particular in arid regions of Russia in the northwest Caucasus Range, where the introduced Siberian elm (U. pumila Linnaeus) has been planted in wind shelters along streets and arable areas (e.g., Martynov and Nikulina 2017;Belitskaya and Gribust 2019). The elm zigzag sawfly can completely defoliate a tree (Zandigiacomo et al 2011;Blank et al 2014), and although attacked trees can produce a second batch of leaves and thus survive, their growth can be affected.…”

The resource role of flowering woody plants in increasing the insects biological diversity

“…Woody plants help to preserve and support insect communities in altered ecosystems [4], they are a favorable place for reproduction, larval development, wintering and the formation of new trophic links, thereby realizing fundamental ecological niches of insects [5,6]. Abundantly flowering plants play a special role in maintaining pollinating insects and other beneficial biota, because nectar and pollen become an additional food resource [7], which helps to increase insect immunity, reproductive ability and increase population size [8].…”