Aphid and episodic O3 injury in arugula plants (Eruca sativa Mill) grown in open-top field chambers

Aphid attacks and tropospheric ozone (O3) cause stress and considerable damage in both wild and cultivated plants. Induced defense responses to aphid attacks and O3 exposure share signaling pathways with common points. We investigated the plant–aphid interaction under O3 exposure using open-top O3 chambers. Ozone leaf injury was lower in aphid-infested plants than in aphid-free plants, although herbivore damage was not evident. Aphid population growth was strongly affected by previous exposure to O3 but no direct effect of O3 was observed. The possibility that during O3 episodes, herbivores may reduce O3 damage on host plants and that the offspring of the exposed aphids have lower population growth rates opens new and intriguing questions about potential effects of future increased tropospheric O3 levels on plant–insect interactions.