URBAN GREENERY AS A HABITAT FOR PARASITOIDS OF THE PIMPLINAE SUBFAMILY (HYMENOPTERA, ICHNEUMONIDAE)

Abstract Vegetation in green areas such as parks, gardens and allotment gardens provides suitable conditions for the development of parasitic insects, which can effectively reduce the population of plant pests feeding in this environment. The aim of the study was to determine the qualitative and quantitative structure of parasitoids of the Pimplinae subfamily (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) inhabiting urban green areas and to determine the influence of anthropogenic pressure on the structures of these communities. The study was conducted between 2014 and 2016 at five sites in urban green areas in Poznań, which were exposed to low, medium or high anthropogenic pressure. In total 3096 samples were collected and 659 Pimplinae insects belonging to 51 species were caught. The largest population and the highest species diversity of the Pimplinae was noted at the Serbska (S) site, which was exposed to medium anthropogenic pressure. The smallest population and the lowest species diversity were observed at the Zoological Garden (ZG) site, which was exposed to heavy anthropogenic pressure. The research showed that the qualitative and quantitative structure of parasitoids of the Pimplinae subfamily depended on the degree of greenness in a particular area, its abundance in plant species, and the air pollution level. The research showed that the degree of anthropogenic pressure determined the similarity of the qualitative and quantitative structure of Pimplinae communities inhabiting urban green areas. The research showed that the species richness and the number of parasitoids of the Pimplinae subfamily in urban green areas were positively related with a well-developed and species-diverse plant cover with an abundance of shrub plants. Therefore, a floristically diverse urban environment may increase the species abundance of parasitoids of the Ichneumonidae family, including the Pimplinae subfamily, which may effectively regulate the number of pests feeding on plants in this environment.