Abstract: To assess the ecological risks of Ophraella communa, an alien herbivorous insect fed with alien invasive ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia to non-target plants, a choice-feeding test was conducted in laboratory to evaluate the host range, and a field survey was made to observe the fitness performances. The results showed that among the test plants in 52 species of 5 categories, O. communa larvae and adults made more or less feeding damages to the plants in Compositae, including Xanthium sibiricum, Helianthus annuus, Carpesium abrotanoides, H. tuberosus(only for adults), Eupatorium adenophorum(only for larvae), and Centipeda minima (only for larvae). Freshly eclosed larvae could develop into adults and lay eggs on X. sibiricum and 8 H. annuus varieties, and into adults without oviposition on H. tuberosus, a new record of the host plant for larval development. However, the larval development on these plants was subjected to lower survival, less pupa weight, and less oviposition. The potential ecological risk of O. communa to native plants was analyzed.

Key words: In situ immobilization, Heavy metal, Contaminated soil, Bioavailability, Assessment