Many studies have shown that air pollutants, including acidic deposition, can affect plants in ways which may be either deleterious or beneficial to phytophagous insects. However, the biochemical and nutritional basis of such potential effects have not been established. This represents a crucial gap in our understanding of the impact of air pollution on plants, as well as our knowledge of the role of host plant quality in insect plant interactions. The P.I. hypothesizes that acidic deposition causes qualitative and/or quantitative biochemical changes in red spruce foliage which alter its nutritional value for spruce budworm (SBW), Choristoneura fumiferana, thereby impacting the insect's growth, development, and survival. This hypothesis will be tested by relating SBW performance to physical and nutritional characteristics of one of its hosts, red spruce, exposed to varying levels or natural and artificial acidic fog. The results of this study will elucidate the biochemical and nutritional bases of the effects of acidic air pollution on plant-insect interactions and will provide a better understanding of the impact of these pollutants on forest ecosystems.
