Effects of Atmospheric Pollution on a Lichenophagous Lepidopteran

Terrestrial epiphytic algae were used to absorb atmospheric pollutants and this material was then fed to larvae of a bagmoth to assess the toxicological effects of the pollutants. Samples of algae were amended with pesticides to simulate agricultural spray drift and with vehicle exhaust gases to simulate road traffic emissions. Larval mortality, immobilization, and feeding were used as the toxicological endpoints. Feeding was the most sensitive of these, but clear dose–response relationships were observed with all three endpoints. The effects of atmospheric pollution on an impacted environment were then investigated using these organisms. Algal samples were collected along a transect that included an area of arable farming, a motorway, and a woodland. Feeding was reduced when the larvae were fed algae from the areas proximal to the arable land and to the motorway. It is suggested that pesticide spray drift and vehicle exhaust emissions may have been the causal agents for these effects.