Levels of damage of Scots pine and Norway spruce caused by needle miners along a SO2 gradient

Abstract

Levels of damage of Scots pine and Norway spruce caused by needle miners along a SO2 gradient. -Ecography 1 9 229-236.Needle damages caused by mining insects on Scots pine and Norway spruce were studied in the vicinity of a pulp mill. The abundance of needles mined by the pine bud moth Exoreleia dodecella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on Scots pine Pinus svlcesrris. and the spruce needle miner Epinoria redelh (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on Norway spruce Picea abies had a significantly peaked response curve on logarithmic distance scale. For pine bud moth, the maximum expccted population density was estimated to be at the distance of 1.35 km from the factory. The maximum expected population density for the spruce needle miner was at the distance of 1.53 km from the factory. However, for both species the curves were significantly direrent among transects. Both species had a peaked and significant response to sulphur level in needles as well. The maximum expected density in pine was at 1270 ppm, and in spruce at 1070 ppm sulphur concentration in pine needles. The results are consistent with earlier reports demonstrating that these mining insects frequently attack trees suffering from air pollution. The nonlinear response of both species to distance from the pulp mill suggests that E. dodecetla on pine and E. ~ede//u on spruce are mther indicators of the zone of intermediate air pollution than of strongly polluted or nearly unpolluted sites. This also agrees with the plant stress-insect performance hypothesis indicating that insect response vanes with the magnitude of stress. and at very high stress levels a tree no longer provides the insects with relevant food.

Responses of terrestrial arthropods to air pollution: a meta-analysis

“…Narrative reviews (Selikhovkin 1988;Riemer and Whittaker 1989;Kozlov 1990Kozlov , 1997Heliövaara and Väisänen 1993) refer to several dozen studies claiming discovery of dome-shaped patterns (the second group in the classification by Führer 1985). However, statistical support for this conclusion in publications covered by our meta-analysis was given only by Oksanen et al (1996). However, statistical support for this conclusion in publications covered by our meta-analysis was given only by Oksanen et al (1996).…”

Insect communities on experimental mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris L.) plots along an urban gradient

“…Studies on leafminers (Ruohomaki et al 1996), needle miners (Oksanen et al 1996) and forest insects (Kozlov 1996) show that plants stressed by air pollution suer from higher insect densities. However, all these investigations were made on insects of trees, which presumably suer from air pollution for much longer than herbs.…”

The effect of urbanization on the quality of remnant habitats for leaf‐mining Lepidoptera on Quercus agrifolia

“…1990, Hanks and Denno 1993). Plant “stress” in urban areas has been attributed to air pollution and an altered hygrothermal environment that may increase a plant's susceptibility to insect attack (Houston 1985, Schmitz 1996, Oksanen et al . 1996, Kozlov 1996, van Rensburg et al .…”

“…Increases in insect abundance in urban areas are attributed to such causes as higher plant ''stress'', lower diversity plantings (mono-culture), and altered natural enemy complexes in urban regions (Root 1973, Kareiva 1983, Houston 1985, Dreistadt et al 1990, Hanks and Denno 1993. Plant ''stress'' in urban areas has been attributed to air pollution and an altered hygrothermal environment that may increase a plant's susceptibility to insect attack (Houston 1985, Schmitz 1996, Oksanen et al 1996, Kozlov 1996, van Rensburg et al 1997, Speight et al 1998). Conversely, a lack of plant stress caused by increased fertilization, water availability, and sunlight has also been hypothesized to increase population densities of insect species in urban areas (Marino et al 1993).…”

“…Replacement of natural habitats by urban land‐uses could also result in changes in the quality of the remaining habitat patches (White and McDonnell 1988, Rebele 1994, Oksanen et al 1996, Denys and Schmidt 1998). Among the activities considered to affect habitat quality is the application of fertilizers and pesticides, increased irrigation, soil compaction, the establishment of non‐native species, and emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.…”