Two species of dodder are widespread in the Russian Far East—alien species Cuscuta campestris Yunck and native C. japonica Choisy (Cuscutaceae Dum.). For the first time we have identified individual species of Smicronyx genus in relation to specific dodder species as there was no such a research done in the Far East before. Smicronyx rubricatus Kono, 1930 was found on Cuscuta japonica Choisy, but plant galls were not detected. The insects fed on dodder sap and mate during the flower bud formation and flowering stages. Smicronyx madaranus Kono, 1930 was found to affect Cuscuta campestris Yunck.; its larvae form stem galls.

Currently, invasive species spreading is becoming a key problem on the global scale. Scope of invasive species control get solved at governmental level in many countries; hundreds of billions dollars a year are allocated as financial support; global programs are created. For the first time, biological control of invasive species Ambrosia artemisiifolia using an introduced phytophage insect was applied in Russia (former USSR) in the 60-70s years of the 20th century and it remains a unique large-scale example until to nowadays. Ambrosia leaf beetle (Zygogramma suturalis (Fabricius, 1775) was brought to the Russian Far East for biological control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in the 80-90s years of the 20th century for the first time, however the targeted result was not achieved. At present, Zygogramma suturalis were adapted at the Primorskii Krai in the south of the Far East, but due to climatic conditions its numbers are low and, as a result, the impact on ambrosia is minimal. The search for native insect species with capable of effectively suppressing the spread of aggressive quarantine weed in local conditions remains in the area of focus. At the moment, two species of native leaf beetles have been identified, using Ambrosia as an additional element in the diet. Climate changes and the shift of biogeographic boundaries cause the natural expansion of the areals of some East Asian insect species to the north within the Russian Far East. Bug-edge Molipteryx fuliginosa (Uhler, 1860) is one of such species. Expanding the area to the north and east, the species also corrects trophic preferences. As a result of our research in the south of Primorskii Krai, the trophic relations of Molipteryx fuliginosa were studied in the field conditions and in rearing cages. The same work was carried out in places where Ambrosia artemisiifolia were growing in a great number. For insects observing were used standard methods. As a result, firstly was established and confirmed that the bug-edge uses Ambrosia artemisiifolia as a feed plant only in select developmental stages, including imago. The feeding of larvae of IV – V ages was noted in natural conditions. The long-time Molipteryx fuliginosa development cycle on ambrosia leads to break the course of normal plant ontogenesis and causes wilting of individual organs.

The article provides a brief analysis of alien flora in Amur Region, describes historical pattern of its formation and research. From 1855 to 2009 there were 217 species, 51 of which became completely extinct at different times, 32 species are only documented by records and 7 are still unidentified. At present the invasive flora in the region is represented by 127 species comprised in 94 genera and 27 families.

The establishment of trophic associations between the native leaf beetle species and the adventive ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia in the territory of southern Primorskii Territory of Russia is considered. The native leaf beetles Neocrepidodera obscuritarsis (Motschulsky, 1859) and Chrysolina aurichalcea (Gebler in Mannerheim, 1825) feed on A. artemisiifolia despite their trophic preferences for native plants.

Background. Plant genetic resources (PGR) conservation is an indispensable condition for ensuring the country’s economic and environmental security. The most important component of the PGR status assessment is the study of crop wild relatives in a particular region. Within the framework of the work on inventorying crop wild relatives (CWR) in the regions of Russia, an inventory of CWR was for the first time made for Magadan Province, Far East region of Russia, to identify plant taxa that are prioritized for conservation and monitoring of their status in natural phytocenoses. Materials and methods. The material for the present research was taken from the data published on the vegetation of the studied region. Taxonomic analysis of CWR was performed using conventional floristic methods. In order to select priority species for conservation, the guidelines for PGR conservation adapted for Russia were used.Results and conclusions. A list of 232 CWR species belonging to 62 genera of 21 families has been compiled; it encompasses nearly 20% of the entire regional flora. The indigenous part of CWR amounts to ca. 60%, while the adventive part includes 40% of the total CWR number. Analysis of distribution of CWR species over the studied area showed that the greatest diversity of CWR species (81%) is concentrated in the Okhotsky floristic district. As a result of the analysis, 76 species occurring in Magadan Province were identified for prioritized in situ conservation.