Density fluctuations of the leafminer Phyllonorycter strigulatella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in the impact zone of a power plant

Abstract

Populations of a tiny moth Phyllonorycter strigulatella, whose larvae develop in leaves of Alnus incana, were monitored around a coal fired power plant (annually emitting 11-29 Kt of SO2) near Apatity, northwestern Russia, during 1991-2001. The periodicity in density fluctuation was not affected by pollution; the peak densities of the leafminer in both polluted and clean localities were observed in 1993 and 1999. Densities of P. strigulatella showed no correlation with pollution between the outbreaks but strongly increased near the power plant during the outbreaks. In polluted localities the density increased by a factor of 15-20, whereas in clean localities it increased by a factor of 3-4, relative to the latent density. Mine distribution among individual leaves was more aggregated near the power plant. P. strigulatella demonstrated higher preference of long shoots in the contaminated sites, but mine distributions within a shoot and within a leaf did not change with the distance from the polluter. Thus, moderate contamination by SO2 favoured P. strigulatella, leading to an increase in the intensity of outbreaks (the ratio between outbreak and latent densities) by a factor of five, but did not change either frequency of outbreaks or timing of density increase.