The response of spruce shoot aphid Cinara pilicornis hartig to ambient and filtered air at two elevations and pollution climates

Abstract

The effects of ambient air compared to filtered air on the reproduction of females and mean relative growth rate (MRGR) of nymphs of C. pilicornis on Norway spruce was determined in open-top chambers at Wengernalp in the Swiss Alps (1900 m a.s.l.) and at Schönenbuch near the city of Basle (400 m a.s.l.). The ambient concentration of O(3), the main pollutant at both sites, varied between 45 and 120 microg m(-3) (24-h mean) at both sites. A 5-8 day exposure of spruce saplings to ambient compared to filtered air enhanced the MRGR of nymphs of C. pilicornis of local and northern origins at Schönenbuch. The cumulative numbers of offspring of C. pilicornis were higher in ambient air chambers than in filtered air chambers at Schönenbuch, but not at Wengernalp. Filtration of ambient air did not affect significantly the levels of total free amino acids or reducing sugars in phloem sap or concentration of total phenolics in needles at the end of the growing season. The results suggest that ambient air with elevated O(3) and with high daily fluctuations, as it can be observed in Schönenbuch, affects aphid performance on conifers more than ambient air with also elevated, but rather constant levels of O(3), as it can be observed in mountain forest areas.