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Detecting changes in insect herbivore communities along a pollution gradient.

Michele Eatough Jones1, Timothy D Paine

  • 1Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. michele.eatough@ucr.edu

Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|February 7, 2006
PubMed
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Air pollution from urban areas alters forest herbivore communities. Even without significant changes in overall numbers, specific insect groups shifted, with chewing insects dominating at high pollution sites for bracken fern and oak.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Forest ecosystems near urban centers face significant air pollution stress, primarily from ozone and nitrogen compounds.
  • Urban-generated pollutants can impact sensitive forest flora and fauna, potentially disrupting ecological balance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of an air pollution gradient on herbivore communities associated with key plant species in the Los Angeles basin.
  • To determine if air pollution influences herbivore abundance, richness, diversity, and community composition.

Main Methods:

  • Sampling of foliage from ponderosa pine, California black oak, and bracken fern at six sites along an air pollution gradient.
  • Extraction of insects from foliage samples during spring.
  • Analysis of community differences using herbivore abundance, richness, Shannon-Weiner diversity, and discriminant function analysis.

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Main Results:

  • Discriminant function analysis revealed distinct patterns in herbivore community composition correlating with the air pollution gradient, despite no significant changes in total abundance, richness, or diversity.
  • Chewing insect dominance increased at higher pollution sites for bracken fern and California black oak.
  • California black oak herbivore communities exhibited the most pronounced response to air pollution.

Conclusions:

  • Air pollution significantly alters the composition of forest herbivore communities, even when overall diversity and abundance remain unchanged.
  • Shifts in herbivore communities, particularly increased dominance of chewing insects, may have implications for forest health and nutrient cycling.
  • California black oak is particularly sensitive to the impacts of air pollution on its associated herbivore fauna.