Abstract. Introduction of non-native species of plants affects the existence and feeding preferences of herbivorous insects. The bird cherry ermine moth (Yponomeuta evonymellus) is considered a typical monophagous insect, which feeds only on bird cherry (Prunus padus) leaves. However, in recent years, we have observed Y. evonymellus larvae feeding on leaves of the non-native (in Europe) and highly invasive black cherry (Prunus serotina). We hypothesized that this insect can feed on P. serotina leaves with no negative effects on its growth and development and that the main reason why it does not accept this plant as a host is the phenological difference between the two species of cherry. Moving individuals of the three larval instars (L1, L2 and L3) from bird cherry to black cherry did not affect the percentage of adults that emerged from the pupae or the masses of the moths. In addition, in one experiment, the moths were heavier and the percentage parasitized was lower on P. serotina than on P. padus. Thus, the leaves of black cherry were at least as good a food source as P. padus for Y. evonymellus. During the feeding period, there were low concentrations of defense compounds (phenolics and condensed tannins) in the leaves of both species. However, it is likely that the low success of Y. evonymellus in infesting P. serotina is due to spring frosts and heavy rains, which are deadly for larvae in an early stage of development on black cherry. In the field these weather conditions resulted in a very high mortality of larvae in our experiment. In conclusion, the use of bird cherry as a host by Y. evonymellus is mainly determined by its phenology.

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Popular in the urban environment is the horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum which is suffering mainly due to the feeding of the horse chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella). The harmfulness of this pest is well recognized. Not much attention was put in discovering the interaction of this insect with the fungal pathogen Guignardia aesuli, the agent of leaf blotch. Host plant mediation in this particular insect-plant pathogen interaction is crucial for understanding the complexity of the horse chestnut's current and future situation. Recognising the response of the host plant for separated and simultaneous colonisation by insect and fungus was the aim of this study. Leaf damage dynamics and phenolic compounds content (total soluble phenolic compounds -TPh, and condensed tannins -CT), and stem volume increment (SVI) of the horse chestnut saplings was considered and their relationship identified. The main hypothesis was that insect feeding and fungal infection when separated elicit a similar pattern in defence response of the host but this defence response is different when they both coexist on the same plant. Basing on crown projection area photographs sequence, foliage damage dynamics was assessed (Richard's growth model) and protocol developed. Measurements of stem volume were performed sequentially to indicate potential growth response. Through this study, it was identified that the content of phenolic compounds in leaves was higher when both pests colonized saplings in comparison with those where saplings were infested by one biotic factor. It is also documented that foliage damage dynamics was higher when only the fungal pathogen attacked plants than when it was infected by both pests. A trade-off was identified between growth and secondary metabolism. Leaf damage affected stem volume increment only in the late summer, when a high level of defoliation was observed. Simultaneous infestation by fungal and insect agents made unfavourable conditions rather for the former. How this interaction affects the latter is not covered by our results and still remains undiscovered.

Insect overwintering is one of the most astonishing phases of the insect life cycle. Despite vast amounts of knowledge available about the physiological mechanisms of this phenomenon, the impact of stress factors on insect immune system functioning during the winter is still unknown. The aim of this study is to analyze how low temperatures influence the immune system of the beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. The results show that the beetle's immune system is differently modulated by cold induced in laboratory settings than that which occurs in natural conditions. Among beetles cultured in conditions similar to summer, low temperatures, did not influence the number of circulating haemocytes, phenoloxidase activity, haemocytes morphology, and percentage ratio of haemocyte types. In these beetles, differences were noted only in the ability of haemocytes to perform phagocytosis. Individuals acclimated in natural conditions in autumn had a higher level of humoral response and a different percentage ratio of haemocyte types. During the winter period, the number of haemocytes in the beetles decreased, but the percentage ratio of phagocytic haemocytes increased. Furthermore, we noted an increase of phenoloxidase activity. Our study also showed mitotic divisions of haemocytes in haemolymph collected from burying beetles after cold exposure and from burying beetles collected from natural conditions during autumn and winter. Differences in response to low temperatures in laboratory conditions and the natural environment suggest that the simultaneous presence of other stress factors during winter such as desiccation and starvation have a significant influence on the activity of burying beetle's immune system.

http://www.eje.cz riod of time (Šefrová & Laštůvka, 2001). The range of C. ohridella continues to expand; in 2003, it reached southern Sweden (Rämert et al., 2011), and a recent report indicates that this insect is in Kazakhstan (Gninenko et al., 2017). Its main host, horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum L., was introduced into central Europe in XVI c. (Ravazzi & Caudullo, 2016). Currently, trees of this species are common throughout the continent. They occur in both urban and rural environments and are commonly planted in lines or alleys. This species has high decorative value, especially during the fl owering period, and its chestnuts that fall to the ground attract the attention of children and, as described by Gwiazdowicz & Wiśniewski (2011) are also of interest to senior citizens. Escin, the mixture of triterpenoid saponins found in the tissues of A. hippocastanum, is used to treat chronic venous insuffi ciency, haemorrhoids and post-operative oedema (Sirtori, 2001). Escin also exhibits anti-cancer effects (Cheong et al., 2018). Fujimura et al.

No abstract

Possible differences in the size and dynamics of the appearance of particular generations of Cameraria ohridella were studied at two city sites of different size and character. The differences in the degree of infestation of Aesculus hippocastanum by the horse chestnut leafminer in the two towns are interpreted as a result of the differences in the size of food resources. The greater degree of infestation of trees in Mosina relative to trees in Poznan´is most probably a result of the difficulty of aerial dispersion and thereby much stronger competition for food. This conclusion confirms a positive correlation of the distance between localities with the degree of tree infestation in a small town and the lack of such a correlation in a big city. The presence of refuges in the city outskirts at which no raking and removal of leaves is performed does not seem to have a significant effect on the degree of horse chestnut infestation in the centre.

The is insufficient knowledge of arthropod communities occurring in specific microhabitats. In this study, we characterize the arthropod assemblages inhabiting burrows of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.) and factors that determine their diversity and abundance. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) arthropod assemblages are associated with a particular dominant vegetation occurring in the vicinity of burrows; (2) a correlation exists between fine-scale geographic distances among burrows and assemblage dissimilarity; and (3) the type of trap influences the sampling success of captured arthropods. We found 73 morphospecies belonging to 16 families in 109 burrows, most of which were in the families Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) and Parasitidae (Arachnida: Acari: Mesostigmata). The most abundant families were Staphylinidae, Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera), Parasitidae, and Macrochelidae (Mesostigmata) (78.89%). Among the identified species, we found Aleochara irmgardis (Staphylinidae) and Poecilochirus sexclavatus (Parasitidae) which had not yet been reported in Poland, and several other rare species. Meat-baited traps captured 64.34% more individuals, which were more diverse and species-rich than the non-baited control traps, but the former was more selective for saprophages, necrophages, and coprophages. The burrows located in areas overgrown by triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) were inhabited by 69.86% of the identified arthropod species, and these also had the highest abundance (64.07%) in comparison with other habitats. However, differences in sample size biased our results toward and overestimate arthropods associated with this vegetation. This study underlines that the species composition detected in burrows was affected by the methods used and hamster preferences for a specific habitat rather than the geographic proximity of the burrows. More extensive sampling across multiple habitats will be necessary to confirm our findings.