Caroline S. Awmack

Altered performance of forest pests under atmospheres enriched by CO2 and O3

Human activity causes increasing background concentrations of the greenhouse gases CO2 and O3. Increased levels of CO2 can be found in all terrestrial ecosystems. Damaging O3 concentrations currently occur over 29% of the worlds temperate and subpolar forests but are predicted to affect fully 60% by 2100 (ref. 3). Although individual effects of CO2 and O3 on vegetation have been widely investigated, very little is known about their interaction, and long-term studies on mature trees and higher trophic levels are extremely rare. Here we present evidence from the most widely distributed North American tree species, Populus tremuloides, showing that CO2 and O3, singly and in combination, affected productivity, physical and chemical leaf defences and, because of changes in plant quality, insect and disease populations. Our data show that feedbacks to plant growth from changes induced by CO2 and O3 in plant quality and pest performance are likely. Assessments of global change effects on forest ecosystems must therefore consider the interacting effects of CO2 and O3 on plant performance, as well as the implications of increased pest activity.

Are honey bees' foraging preferences affected by pollen amino acid composition?

Abstract.  1. Although pollen is a vital nutritional resource for honey bees, Apis mellifera, the influence of pollen quality on their foraging behaviour is little understood.

Climate change may increase vulnerability of aphids to natural enemies

New Perspectivesis intended to allow the communication of comments, viewpoints and speculative interpretation of issues in ecology pertinent to entomology. Comments, viewpoints or suggestions arising from published papers intended to fuel discussion and debate are also welcome. Contributions should be as concise as possible, normally not exceeding 2000 words. Formal research reports will not be acceptable, but summarized novel data, suitably supported by statistics, may be allowed. The use of the active voice will be permitted.

Altered genotypic and phenotypic frequencies of aphid populations under enriched CO2 and O3 atmospheres

Environmental change is anticipated to negatively affect both plant and animal populations. As abiotic factors rapidly change habitat suitability, projections range from altered genetic diversity to wide-spread species loss. Here, we assess the degree to which changes in atmospheric composition associated with environmental change will influence not only the abundance, but also the genotypic/phenotypic diversity, of herbivore populations. Using free-air CO2 and O3 enrichment (FACE) technology, we assess numerical responses of pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) exhibiting a pink‐green genetic polymorphism and an environmentally determined wing polyphenism on broad bean plants (Vicia faba) under enriched CO2 and/or O3 atmospheres, over multiple generations. We show that these two greenhouse gases alter not only aphid population sizes, but also genotypic and phenotypic frequencies. As the green genotype was positively influenced by elevated CO2 levels, but the pink genotype was not, genotypic frequencies (pink morph:green morph) ranged from 1:1 to 9:1. These two genotypes also displayed marked differences in phenotypic frequencies. The pink genotype exhibited higher levels of wing induction under all atmospheric treatments, however, this polyphenism was negatively influenced by elevated O3 levels. Resultantly, frequencies of winged phenotypes (pink morph:green morph) varied from 10:1 to 332:1. Thus, atmospheric conditions associated with environmental change may alter not just overall population sizes, but also genotypic and phenotypic frequencies of herbivore populations, thereby influencing community and ecosystem functioning.

Elevated CO2 affects the interactions between aphid pests and host plant flowering

1 Broad beans (Vicia faba L.) were grown at either ambient (350 μL/L) or elevated (700 μL/L) CO2. Elevated CO2 increased shoot weight by 14% and root weight by 24% compared to ambient, but did not affect flowering.

Individual growth rates do not predict aphid population densities under altered atmospheric conditions

1 Altered atmospheric composition, associated with climate change, can modify herbivore population dynamics through CO2 and/or O3‐mediated changes in plant quality. 2 Although pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum genotypes exhibit intraspecific variation in population growth in response to atmospheric composition, the proximate mechanisms underlying this variation are largely unknown. 3 By rearing single (green, pink) and mixed (green + pink) pea aphid genotypes on red clover Trifolium pratense at the Aspen Free Air CO2 and O3 Enrichment (Aspen FACE) site, we assessed whether: (i) elevated CO2 and/or O3 concentrations alter aphid growth and development and (ii) individual aphid growth rates predict aphid population densities. 4 We showed that growth and development of individual green and pink aphids were not influenced by CO2 and/or O3 concentrations when reared as individual or mixed genotypes. Individual growth rates, however, did not predict population densities. 5 Reared as a single genotype, green pea aphid populations decreased in response to elevated CO2 concentrations, but not in response to elevated CO2 + O3 concentrations. Pink pea aphid populations reared as a single genotype were unaffected by augmented CO2 or O3. Populations of mixed genotypes, however, were reduced under elevated CO2 concentrations, irrespective of O3 concentrations. 6 Herbivore population sizes may not readily be predicted from growth rates of individual organisms under atmospheric conditions associated with global climate change.