The Effects of Urban Warming on Herbivore Abundance and Street Tree Condition

Abstract (from http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0102996): Trees are essential to urban habitats because they provide services that benefit the environment and improve human health. Unfortunately, urban trees often have more herbivorous insect pests than rural trees but the mechanisms and consequences of these infestations are not well documented. Here, we examine how temperature affects the abundance of a scale insect, Melanaspis tenebricosa (Comstock) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), on one of the most commonly planted street trees in the eastern U.S. Next, we examine how both pest abundance and temperature are associated with water stress, growth, and condition of 26 urban street trees....

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: Forests, Landscapes, Other Wildlife, Plants, Southeast CASC, All tags... Wildlife and Plants, habitats, insects, linear regression analysis, plant-herbivore interactions, surface temperature, trees, urban ecology, urban environments, Fewer tags