| warming and drought combine to increase pest insect fitness on urban trees. | urban habitats are characterized by impervious surfaces, which increase temperatures and reduce water availability to plants. the effects of these conditions on herbivorous insects are not well understood, but may provide insight into future conditions. three primary hypotheses have been proposed to explain why multiple herbivorous arthropods are more abundant and damaging in cities, and support has been found for each. first, less complex vegetation may reduce biological control of pests. secon ... | 2017 | 28278206 |
| the effects of urban warming on herbivore abundance and street tree condition. | 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, ... | 2014 | 25054326 |
| do cities simulate climate change? a comparison of herbivore response to urban and global warming. | cities experience elevated temperature, co2 , and nitrogen deposition decades ahead of the global average, such that biological response to urbanization may predict response to future climate change. this hypothesis remains untested due to a lack of complementary urban and long-term observations. here, we examine the response of an herbivore, the scale insect melanaspis tenebricosa, to temperature in the context of an urban heat island, a series of historical temperature fluctuations, and recent ... | 2015 | 25163424 |
| urban warming trumps natural enemy regulation of herbivorous pests. | trees provide ecosystem services that counter negative effects of urban habitats on human and environmental health. unfortunately, herbivorous arthropod pests are often more abundant on urban than rural trees, reducing tree growth, survival, and ecosystem services. previous research where vegetation complexity was reduced has attributed elevated urban pest abundance to decreased regulation by natural enemies. however, reducing vegetation complexity, particularly the density of overstory trees, a ... | 2018 | 29210225 |