Kairomonal responses of natural enemies and associates of the Southern Ips (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) to Ipsdienol, Ipsenol and Cis-Verbenol

Treesearch

Jeremy D. Allison; Jessica L. McKenney; Daniel R. Miller; Matthew L. Gimmel

2013-01-01

Bark beetle infested pines are an ephemeral habitat utilized by a diverse assemblage of insects. Although many bark beetle insect associates have little or no measurable impact on bark beetle brood production, some reduce brood production by either competing with brood for the limited phloem tissue or by feeding on brood. Several studies have observed synchrony between...

Using pheromones to protect heat-injured lodgepole pine from mountain pine beetle infestation

Treesearch

Gene D. Amman; Kevin C. Ryan

1994-01-01

The bark beetle antiaggregative pheromones, verbenone and ipsdienol, were tested in protecting heat-injured lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) from mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) infestation in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in central Idaho. Peat moss was placed around 70 percent of the...

Orthotomicus erosus: A new pine-infesting bark beetle in the United States

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack

2004-01-01

Established populations of yet another new exotic beetle (Scolytidae) were discovered in the United States in 2004: Othotomicus erosus. This Eurasian bark beetle, commonly called the Mediterranean pine engraver, is native to the pine (Pinus)growing areas of Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. It has also been introduced to Chile, Fiji, South Africa, and Swaziland....

Geochemical responses of forested catchments to bark beetle infestation: Evidence from high frequency in-stream electrical conductivity monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Ye; Langhammer, Jakub; Jarsjö, Jerker

2017-07-01

Under the present conditions of climate warming, there has been an increased frequency of bark beetle-induced tree mortality in Asia, Europe, and North America. This study analyzed seven years of high frequency monitoring of in-stream electrical conductivity (EC), hydro-climatic conditions, and vegetation dynamics in four experimental catchments located in headwaters of the Sumava Mountains, Central Europe. The aim was to determine the effects of insect-induced forest disturbance on in-stream EC at multiple timescales, including annual and seasonal average conditions, daily variability, and responses to individual rainfall events. Results showed increased annual average in-stream EC values in the bark beetle-infected catchments, with particularly elevated EC values during baseflow conditions. This is likely caused by the cumulative loading of soil water and groundwater that discharge excess amounts of substances such as nitrogen and carbon, which are released via the decomposition of the needles, branches, and trunks of dead trees, into streams. Furthermore, we concluded that infestation-induced changes in event-scale dynamics may be largely responsible for the observed shifts in annual average conditions. For example, systematic EC differences between baseflow conditions and event flow conditions in relatively undisturbed catchments were essentially eliminated in catchments that were highly disturbed by bark beetles. These changes developed relatively rapidly after infestation and have long-lasting (decadal-scale) effects, implying that cumulative impacts of increasingly frequent bark beetle outbreaks may contribute to alterations of the hydrogeochemical conditions in more vulnerable mountain regions.

Emergence of Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Scolytinae (Coleoptera) from mountain pine beetle-killed and fire-killed ponderosa pines in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

Treesearch

Sheryl L. Costello; William R. Jacobi; Jose F. Negron

2013-01-01

Wood borers (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae and Buprestidae) and bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) infest ponderosa pines, Pinus ponderosa P. Lawson and C. Lawson, killed by mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, and fire. No data is available comparing wood borer and bark beetle densities or species guilds associated with MPB-killed or fire-...

Do bark beetles and wood borers infest lumber following heat treatment? The role of bark

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack; Toby R. Petrice; Pascal Nzokou

2007-01-01

Wood packing material (WPM) is an important pathway for the movement of bark- and wood-infesting insects (Haack 2006). New international standards for treating WPM, often referred to as "ISPM 15," were adopted in 2002 (FAO 2002). The two approved WPM treatments are heat treatment (56? C core temperature for 30 min) and fumigation with methyl bromide. These...

Predation by Flat Bark Beetles (Coleoptera: Silvanidae and Laemophloeidae) on Coffee Berry Borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Hawaii coffee

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Coffee berry borer(CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, is a serious pest of coffee worldwide and a new invasive pest in Hawaii. Adult flat bark beetles, mainly Leptophloeus sp.(75%) and Cathartus quadricollis(21%) (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae and Silvanidae, respectively), were found feeding in CBB-infested c...

Biology of the invasive banded elm bark beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in the western United States

Treesearch

Jana C. Lee; Jose F. Negron; Sally J. McElwey; Livy Williams; Jeffrey J. Witcosky; John B. Popp; Steven J. Seybold

2011-01-01

The banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), native to Asia, was detected in the United States in 2003, and as of 2011 it is known to occur in 28 states and four Canadian provinces. S. schevyrewi infests the same elm (Ulmus spp.) hosts as the longestablished invasive...

Fuel and stand characteristics in ponderosa pine infested with mountain pine beetle, Ips spp., and southwestern dwarf mistletoe in Colorado's northern Front Range

Treesearch

Jennifer Gene Klutsch

2008-01-01

The effect of forest disturbances, such as bark beetles and dwarf mistletoes, on fuel dynamics is important for understanding forest dynamics and heterogeneity. Fuel loads and other fuel parameters were assessed in areas of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) infested with southwestern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium vaginatum...

Mechanical Control of Southern Pine Beetle Infestations

Treesearch

Ronald F. Billings

2011-01-01

Periodic outbreaks of the southern pine beetle (SPB) may affect thousands of acres of commercial pine forests in the Southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America. Accordingly, this species is the target of more aggressive and effective suppression programs than any other bark beetle pest in the world. The strategy for controlling the southern pine beetle...

The effectiveness of vegetation management practices for prevention and control of bark beetle infestations in coniferous forests of the western and southern United States

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Kier D. Klepzig; Ronald f. Billings; A. Steven Munson; T. Evan Nebeker; Jose F. Negron; John T. Nowak

2007-01-01

Insects are major components of forest ecosystems, representing most of the biological diversity and affecting virtually all processes and uses. In the USA, bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) heavily influence the structure and function of these ecosystems by regulating certain aspects of primary production, nutrient cycling, ecological succession and...

Evaluation of funnel traps for characterizing the bark beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) communities in ponderosa pine forests of north-central Arizona.

PubMed

Hayes, Christopher J; DeGomez, Tom E; Clancy, Karen M; Williams, Kelly K; McMillin, Joel D; Anhold, John A

2008-08-01

Lindgren funnel traps baited with aggregation pheromones are widely used to monitor and manage populations of economically important bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). This study was designed to advance our understanding of how funnel trap catches assess bark beetle communities and relative abundance of individual species. In the second year (2005) of a 3-yr study of the bark beetle community structure in north-central Arizona pine (Pinus spp.) forests, we collected data on stand structure, site conditions, and local bark beetle-induced tree mortality at each trap site. We also collected samples of bark from infested (brood) trees near trap sites to identify and determine the population density of bark beetles that were attacking ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex Lawson, in the area surrounding the traps. Multiple regression models indicated that the number of Dendroctonus and Ips beetles captured in 2005 was inversely related to elevation of the trap site, and positively associated with the amount of ponderosa pine in the stand surrounding the site. Traps located closer to brood trees also captured more beetles. The relationship between trap catches and host tree mortality was weak and inconsistent in forest stands surrounding the funnel traps, suggesting that trap catches do not provide a good estimate of local beetle-induced tree mortality. However, pheromone-baited funnel trap data and data from gallery identification in bark samples produced statistically similar relative abundance profiles for the five species of bark beetles that we examined, indicating that funnel trap data provided a good assessment of species presence and relative abundance.

Do water-limiting conditions predispose Norway spruce to bark beetle attack?

PubMed Central

Netherer, Sigrid; Matthews, Bradley; Katzensteiner, Klaus; Blackwell, Emma; Henschke, Patrick; Hietz, Peter; Pennerstorfer, Josef; Rosner, Sabine; Kikuta, Silvia; Schume, Helmut; Schopf, Axel

2015-01-01

Drought is considered to enhance susceptibility of Norway spruce (Picea abies) to infestations by the Eurasian spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus, Coleoptera: Curculionidae), although empirical evidence is scarce. We studied the impact of experimentally induced drought on tree water status and constitutive resin flow, and how physiological stress affects host acceptance and resistance. We established rain-out shelters to induce both severe (two full-cover plots) and moderate (two semi-cover plots) drought stress. In total, 18 sample trees, which were divided equally between the above treatment plots and two control plots, were investigated. Infestation was controlled experimentally using a novel ‘attack box’ method. Treatments influenced the ratios of successful and defended attacks, but predisposition of trees to infestation appeared to be mainly driven by variations in stress status of the individual trees over time. With increasingly negative twig water potentials and decreasing resin exudation, the defence capability of the spruce trees decreased. We provide empirical evidence that water-limiting conditions impair Norway spruce resistance to bark beetle attack. Yet, at the same time our data point to reduced host acceptance byI. typographus with more extreme drought stress, indicated by strongly negative pre-dawn twig water potentials. PMID:25417785

Fuel loads and simulated fire behavior in "old-stage" beetle-infested ponderosa pine of the Colorado Plateau

Treesearch

E. Matthew Hansen; Morris C. Johnson; Barbara J. Bentz; James C. Vandygriff; A. Steven Munson

2015-01-01

Recent bark beetle outbreaks in western North America have led to concerns regarding changes in fuel profiles and associated changes in fire behavior. Data are lacking for a range of infestation severities and time since outbreak, especially for relatively arid cover types. We surveyed fuel loads and simulated fire behavior for ponderosa pine stands of the...

Predictors of southern pine beetle flight activity

Treesearch

John C. Moser; T.R. Dell

1979-01-01

An equation based on weather data explained differences in capture counts of pine bark beetles trapped twice weekly for an entire year at a single infestation and contributed to the udnerstanding of some aspects of beetle dynamics. The proportion of the beetles that reached the traps increased with maximum temperature and decreased with heavy rain. Production of adults...

Biology of Scolytus piceae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Northern Idaho and Notes on Comparative Anatomical Features of the Larva.

PubMed

Furniss, Malcolm M; Kegley, Sandra J

2017-06-01

The forests of the northern Rocky Mountains are hosts of nine species of Nearctic conifer-infesting bark beetles of the genus Scolytus Geoffroy. One of these, Scolytus piceae Swaine (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), infests spruces across the continent including Picea engelmannii Parry (Pinaceae) in Idaho. Mature larvae overwintered before transforming to adults, which infested new hosts in early June. Scolytus piceae most commonly infested shaded out lower branches of mature live spruce. In sporadic wind-felled spruce, the beetle infested the terminal portion of branches throughout the crown, whereas another Scolytinae, Polygraphus rufipennis (Kirby), infested the thicker bark basal portion of the same branches. This niche separation resulted from difference in time of their dispersal flight and ability of S. piceae to colonize thin bark by engraving the underlying sapwood. Population recruitment of S. piceae was low in shaded out lower branches, in balance with this limited host resource. Features of the head of S. piceae larvae differed from that reported in literature, including the mandible dentition, antennal field, and pattern of setae on the postlabium. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The mountain pine beetle and whitebark pine waltz: Has the music changed?

Treesearch

Barbara J. Bentz; Greta Schen-Langenheim

2007-01-01

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) (MPB), is a bark beetle native to western North American forests, spanning wide latitudinal and elevational gradients. MPB infest and reproduce within the phloem of most Pinus species from northern Baja California in Mexico to central British Columbia in...

The eastern larch beetle in Alaska.

Treesearch

Richard A. Werner

1986-01-01

The eastern larch beetle (Dendroctonus simplex LeConte) exists throughout the range of tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) in interior Alaska where it has a 1-year life cycle. Beetles overwinter as adults in the bark of the trunk below snowline in infested trees. Tamarack trees that are slow growing because of repeated...

Associations of Conifer-Infesting Bark Beetles and Fungi in Fennoscandia

PubMed Central

Linnakoski, Riikka; de Beer, Z. Wilhelm; Niemelä, Pekka; Wingfield, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) have a widespread association with fungi, especially with ophiostomatoid fungi (Ascomycota) that cause blue staining of wood, and in some cases, serious tree diseases. In Fennoscandia, most studies of these fungi have focused on economically important bark beetle species and this is likely to have led to a biased view of the fungal biodiversity in the region. Recently, the associations between fungi and bark beetles in Fennoscandia have been shown to be more diverse than previously thought. Furthermore, they form complex and dynamic associations that are only now beginning to emerge. This review examines the current knowledge of the rather poorly known interactions between bark beetles, fungi and their conifer host trees in Fennoscandia. The diversity of ophiostomatoid species is discussed and the possible factors that influence the assemblages of fungal associates are considered for all species that are known to occur in the region. For many ophiostomatoid species found in Fennoscandia, little or nothing is known regarding their pathogenicity, particularly if they were to be transferred to new environments. We, therefore, draw attention to the possible threats of timber trade and climate change-induced invasions of new habitats by bark beetles and the fungi that can be moved along with them. PMID:26467956

Diesel fuel oil for increasing mountain pine beetle mortality in felled logs

Treesearch

S. A. Mata; J. M. Schmid; D. A. Leatherman

2002-01-01

Diesel fuel oil was applied to mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) infested bolts of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson) in early June. Just prior to the fuel oil application and 6 weeks later, 0.5 ft2 bark samples were removed from each bolt and the numbers of live beetles counted....

Landscape-scale analysis of aboveground tree carbon stocks affected by mountain pine beetles in Idaho

Treesearch

Benjamin Bright; J. A. Hicke; A. T. Hudak

2012-01-01

Bark beetle outbreaks kill billions of trees in western North America, and the resulting tree mortality can significantly impact local and regional carbon cycling. However, substantial variability in mortality occurs within outbreak areas. Our objective was to quantify landscape-scale effects of beetle infestations on aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks using field...

Natural History of the Southern Pine Beetle

Treesearch

Fred P. Hain; Adrian J. Duehl; Micah J. Gardner; Thomas L. Payne

2011-01-01

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is a tree killer of southern yellow pines. All life stages—eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults—infest the inner bark or phloem tissue of the host tree. Adult beetles overcome the tree’s defenses through a mass-attack phenomenon. They are attracted to the tree by a pheromone system consisting of volatiles produced by the beetles and the host....

Insect infestation and residential property values: A hedonic analysis of the mountain pine beetle epidemic

Treesearch

James I. Price; Daniel W. McCollum; Robert P. Berrens

2010-01-01

In recent years mountain pine beetles (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae, along with several other bark beetle species, have severely damaged coniferous forests in the western United States (U.S.) and Canada (Morris and Walls, 2009). Colorado provides one example of a region that has been heavily affected. The Colorado State Forest Service estimates that 769,000ha of...

Ecosystem Nitrogen Retention Following Severe Bark Beetle and Salvage Logging Disturbance in Lodgepole Pine Forests: a 15N Enrichment Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avera, B.; Rhoades, C.; Paul, E. A.; Cotrufo, M. F.

2017-12-01

In recent decades, bark beetle outbreaks have caused high levels of tree mortality in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) dominated forests across western North America. Previous work has found increased soil mineral nitrogen (N) with tree mortality in beetle infested stands, but surprisingly little change in stream N export. These findings suggest an important role of residual live vegetation and altered soil microbial response for retaining surplus N and mitigating N losses from disturbed lodgepole forests. Post outbreak salvage of merchantable timber reduces fuel levels and promotes tree regeneration; however, the implications of the combined bark beetle and harvesting disturbances on ecosystem N retention and productivity are uncertain. To advance understanding of post-disturbance N retention we compare unlogged beetle-infested forests and salvage logged stands with post-harvest woody residue retention or removal. We applied 15N-labeled (2 atom%) and natural abundance ammonium sulfate to eight year old lodgepole pine seedlings in three replicate plots of the three forest management treatments. This approach allows us to quantify the relative contributions of N retention in soil, microbial biomass, and plant tissue. Our study targets gaps in understanding of the processes that regulate N utilization and transfer between soil and vegetation that result in effective N retention in lodgepole pine ecosystems. These findings will also help guide forest harvest and woody residue management practices in order to maintain soil productivity.

Effects of Extensive Beetle-Induced Forest Mortality on Aromatic Organic Carbon Loading and Disinfection Byproduct Formation Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brouillard, B.; Mikkelson, K. M.; Dickenson, E.; Sharp, J.

2015-12-01

Recent drought and warmer temperatures associated with climate change have caused increased pest-induced forest mortality with impacts on biogeochemical and hydrologic processes. To better understand the seasonal impacts of bark beetle infestation on water quality, samples were collected regularly over two overlapping snow free seasons at surface water intakes of six water treatment facilities in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado displaying varying levels of bark beetle infestation (high >40%, moderate 20-40%, and low <20%). Organic carbon concentrations were typically 3 to 6 times higher in waters sourced from high beetle-impacted watersheds compared to moderate and low impact watersheds, revealing elevated specific ultraviolet absorbance, fluorescence, and humic-like intensity indicative of elevated aromatic carbon signatures. Accordingly, an increase in disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation potential of 400 to 600% was quantified when contrasted with watersheds containing less tree mortality. Beetle impact exasperated seasonal increases in carbon loading and DBP formation potential following both runoff and precipitation events indicating windows when enhanced water treatment may be utilized by water providers in highly infested regions. Additionally, elevated carbon concentrations throughout the summer and fall along with peaks following precipitation events provide evidence of shifting hydrologic flow paths in areas experiencing high forest mortality from decreased tree water uptake and interception. Collectively, these results demonstrate the need for continued watershed protection and monitoring with a changing climate as the resultant perturbations can have adverse effects on biogeochemistry and water quality in heavily impacted areas.

Towards scaling interannual ecohydrological responses of conifer forests to bark beetle infestations from individuals to landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, D. S.; Ewers, B. E.; Peckham, S. D.; Savoy, P.; Reed, D. E.; Frank, J. M.

2013-12-01

Widespread epidemics of forest-damaging insects have severe implications for the interconnections between water and ecosystem processes under present-day climate. How these systems respond to future climates is highly uncertain, and so there is a need for a better understanding of the effects of such disturbances on plant hydraulics, and the consequent effects on ecosystem processes. Moreover, large-scale manifestations of such disturbances require scaling knowledge obtained from individual trees or stands up to a regional extent. This requires a conceptual framework that integrates physical and biological processes that are immutable and scalable. Indeed, in Western North America multiple conifer species have been impacted by the bark beetle epidemic, but the prediction of such widespread outbreaks under changing environmental conditions must be generalized from a relatively small number of ground-based observations. Using model-data fusion we examine the fundamental principles that drive ecological and hydrological responses to bark beetles infestation from individuals to regions. The study includes a mid-elevation (2750 m a.s.l) lodgepole pine forest and higher (3190 m a.s.l.) elevation Engelmann spruce - fir forest in southern Wyoming. The study included a suite of observations, comprising leaf gas exchange, non-structural carbon (NSC), plant hydraulics, including sap flux transpiration (E), vulnerability to cavitation, leaf water potentials, and eddy covariance, were made pre-, during-, and post-disturbance, as the bark beetle infestation moved through these areas. Numerous observations tested hypotheses generated by the Terrestrial Regional Ecosystem Exchange Simulator (TREES), which integrates soil hydraulics and dynamic tree hydraulics (cavitation) with canopy energy and gas exchange, and operates at scales from individuals to landscapes. TREES accurately predicted E and NSC dynamics among individuals spanning pre- and post-disturbance periods, with the 95% prediction bounds of the model capturing 95% of observations. Based on support from our model-data fusion we advance a conceptual framework, grounded on the idea of plant hydraulic traits shifting from equilibrium to non-equilibrium states between soil and vegetation, with some traits that forms a key interconnection between water and ecosystem responses to bark beetle disturbance shifting back to equilibrium within five years. Implications of future climate conditions are then examined using our conceptual framework, by exploring the water and carbon responses to insect outbreaks with and without co-occurring drought and heat stress.

Variable responses by southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, to the pheromone component endo-Brevicomin: influence of enantiomeric composition, release rate, and proximity to infestations

Treesearch

Brian Sullivan; Mark Dulusky; Kenji Mori; Cavell Brownie

2011-01-01

The male-produced bicyclic acetal endo-brevicomin is a component of the pheromone blend that mediates colonization of host pines by the bark beetle Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann. Efforts to identify its behavioral function have been complicated by contrasting reports that it either enhances or reduces attraction of flying beetles. Our studies failed to support the...

Remedial treatment of lodgepole pine infested with mountain pine beetle: efficacy of three insecticides

Treesearch

Paul E. Tilden

1985-01-01

Lindane is registered for remedial control of bark beetles; however, forestry uses are controversial and alternative chemicals are needed. Chlorpyrifos (Dursban 4E), carbaryl (Sevimol 4), and fenitrothion (Sumithion 8E) at 1, 2, and 4 pct active ingredient, and lindane at the registered dosage of 0.6 pct were sprayed on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta...

Semiochemical-mediated flight strategies of two invasive elm bark beetles: a potential factor in competitive displacement.

PubMed

Lee, Jana C; Hamud, Shakeeb M; Negrón, José F; Witcosky, Jeffrey J; Seybold, Steven J

2010-04-01

A seven-state survey showed that the recently detected invasive Asian banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, was abundant in areas of Colorado and Wyoming, whereas the long-established European elm bark beetle, S. multistriatus (Marsham), was not as abundant. In one of a series of studies to evaluate whether S. schevyrewi is competitively displacing S. multistriatus in their North American zone of sympatry, we characterized long-range flight responses infested or uninfested to small cut logs of American, Chinese, and Siberian elm, Ulmus americana, U. parvifolia, and U. pumila. Trials were conducted in Colorado and Wyoming to test the flight response of S. schevyrewi; in California to test the response of S. multistriatus; and in Nevada to test the responses of both species simultaneously. Studies with S. schevyrewi showed that males and females aggregated toward Ulmus spp. host volatiles but provided no evidence of a putative aggregation pheromone during the 0- to 48- or 48- to 96-h period of infestation. In contrast, S. multistriatus was attracted to U. pumila over unbaited controls, more to U. pumila infested with conspecific females than without, and more during the 48- to 96- versus 0- to 48-h period of infestation. This confirmed that male and female S. multistriatus aggregated toward host volatiles and that females produced an aggregation pheromone. In a cross-attraction study, S. schevyrewi displayed neither flight preference nor interruption to U. pumila infested with conspecifics, heterospecifics, or a mix of both species. Response of S. multistriatus was too low to draw conclusions. Although S. multistriatus aggregates moderately to host volatiles and strongly to female-derived pheromones emitted after a few days, S. multistriatus may have a relative disadvantage by selecting elm hosts more slowly than S. schevyrewi, which aggregates very strongly to host volatiles. The differential long-range host location strategy may be one factor in a chain of behavioral events that leads to advantageous host colonization and development by S. schevyrewi.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amman, G.D.; Ryan, K.C.

The bark beetle antiaggregative pheromones, verbenone and ipsdienol, were tested in protecting heat-injured lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) from mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestation in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in central Idaho. Peat moss was placed around 70 percent of the basal circumference of lodgepole pines. When the peat moss was ignited, it simulated the smoldering of natural duff, generating temperatures that killed the cambium. The four treatments tested were uninjured tree, heat-injured tree, heat-injured tree treated with verbenone, and heat-injured tree treated with verbenone plus ipsdienol. Treatments were replicated 20 times. Mountain pine beetles weremore » attracted into treatment blocks by placing mountain pine beetle tree baits on metal posts 3 to 5 meters from treated trees. Fisher's Extract Test showed that treatment and beetle infestation were not independent (P < 0.015). Check treatments contained more unattacked and mass-attacked trees, whereas pheromone treatments contained more unsuccessfully attacked trees.« less

The effects of bark beetle outbreaks on forest development, fuel loads and potential fire behavior in salvage logged and untreated lodgepole pine forests

Treesearch

B. J. Collins; C. C. Rhoades; M. A. Battaglia; R. M. Hubbard

2012-01-01

Recent mountain pine beetle infestations have resulted in widespread tree mortality and the accumulation of dead woody fuels across the Rocky Mountain region, creating concerns over future forest stand conditions and fire behavior. We quantified how salvage logging influenced tree regeneration and fuel loads relative to nearby, uncut stands for 24 lodgepole pine...

The frequency and intensity of bark beetle infestations recorded in Romanian forests affected by windfall in 1995

Treesearch

V. Mihalciuc; V. Danci; M. Bujila; D. Chira

2003-01-01

Research has been carried out during the past six years (1996-2001), to record the occurrence of wind damage in resinous stands and to monitor the evolution of pest infestations during this period. The level of pest attack has become moderate over time and depended on different types of damaged wood material (cut, broken and fallen trees). We also reported about the...

Hydrological effects of forest transpiration loss in bark beetle-impacted watersheds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bearup, Lindsay A.; Maxwell, Reed M.; Clow, David W.; McCray, John E.

2014-01-01

The recent climate-exacerbated mountain pine beetle infestation in the Rocky Mountains of North America has resulted in tree death that is unprecedented in recorded history. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity inherent in insect infestation creates a complex and often unpredictable watershed response, influencing the primary storage and flow components of the hydrologic cycle. Despite the increased vulnerability of forested ecosystems under changing climate1, watershed-scale implications of interception, ground evaporation, and transpiration changes remain relatively unknown, with conflicting reports of streamflow perturbations across regions. Here, contributions to streamflow are analysed through time and space to investigate the potential for increased groundwater inputs resulting from hydrologic change after infestation. Results demonstrate that fractional late-summer groundwater contributions from impacted watersheds are 30 ± 15% greater after infestation and when compared with a neighbouring watershed that experienced earlier and less-severe attack, albeit uncertainty propagations through time and space are considerable. Water budget analysis confirms that transpiration loss resulting from beetle kill can account for the relative increase in groundwater contributions to streams, often considered the sustainable flow fraction and critical to mountain water supplies and ecosystems.

Quantifying the effects of mountain pine beetle infestation on water and biogeochemical cycles at multiple spatial and temporal scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, P. D.; Harpold, A. A.; Somor, A. J.; Troch, P. A.; Gochis, D. J.; Ewers, B. E.; Pendall, E.; Biederman, J. A.; Reed, D.; Barnard, H. R.; Whitehouse, F.; Aston, T.; Borkhuu, B.

2010-12-01

Unprecedented levels of bark beetle infestation over the last decade have radically altered forest structure across millions of hectares of Western U.S. montane environments. The widespread extent of this disturbance presents a major challenge for governments and resource managers who lack a predictive understanding of how water and biogeochemical cycles will respond to this disturbance over various temporal and spatial scales. There is a widespread perception, largely based on hydrological responses to fire or logging, that a reduction in both transpiration and interception following tree death will increase soil water availability and catchment water yield. However, few studies have directly addressed the effects of insect-induced forest decline on water and biogeochemical cycling. We address this knowledge gap using observations and modeling at scales from 100 to 109 m2 across study sites in CO and WY that vary in the intensity and timing of beetle infestation and tree death. Our focus on multiple sites with different levels of impact allows us to address two broad, organizing questions: How do changes in vegetation structure associated with MPB alter the partitioning of energy and water? And How do these changes in energy and water availability affect local to regional scale water and biogeochemical cycles? This presentation will focus primarily on energy balance and water partitioning, providing context for ongoing biogeochemical work. During the growing season, stand-scale transpiration declines rapidly and soil moisture increases following infestation, consistent with streamflow data from regional catchments that shows an increase in baseflow following widespread attack. During the winter and spring, stand scale snow surveys and continuous snow depth sensors suggested that the variability in snow cover decreased as the severity of beetle impact increases, but there were no significant stand-scale differences in snow depth among levels of impact. This is due both to an increase in snow under the canopies of dead trees and a decrease in snow cover in canopy gaps. For example, mean snow depth under the canopy was 86cm (CV 0.02) in unimpacted sites and 95cm (CV 0.05) in heavily impacted sites. In canopy gaps however, mean snow depth was 117cm (CV 0.11) in unimpacted sites but only 93cm (CV 0.07) in heavily impacted sites. At the watershed scale, bark beetle infestation was more likely to decrease the amount of both snowmelt and annual runoff, suggesting that the opening of the canopy increases sublimation and evaporation of the snow cover. These data suggest that the disturbance due to bark beetle infestation is both quantitatively and qualitatively different than either fire or logging. Using these observations, we develop a conceptual model for evaluating how biotic and abiotic processes couple water and biogeochemical cycles in forest ecosystems.

Spatial Patterns of first spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) infestation of standing Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) after heavy storm damage in Switzerland

Treesearch

R. Gall; A. Heimgartner

2003-01-01

On December 26, 1999, Switzerland was struck by the most severe storm in the country's history. An extensive dataset from the Canton Berne allowed us to test the hypothesis that in regions where windthrown wood was cleared a) the intensity of the first Ips typographus-infestation on standing trees after the storm depends on the distance from...

Bark beetles in the genus Dendroctonus

Treesearch

Barbara J. Bentz

2008-01-01

The genus Dendroctonus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), originally described by Erichson in 1836, currently includes 19 species that are widely distributed. Seventeen species occur between Arctic North America and northwestern Nicaragua, and an additional two species are in northern Europe and Asia. Dendroctonus species attack and infest conifer hosts (Pinaceae...

Finding Spectral Patterns in Bark Beetle Infestations in the Sierra National Forest Using Landsat and AVIRIS Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heck, M. D.; Roberts, D. A.; Miller, D. L.; Tane, Z.

2016-12-01

Under normal circumstances, the bark beetles of the Sierra Nevada conifer forests are vital to ecosystem health; by eliminating weak trees, they allow other plants to grow in the space left behind, provide homes for various animals, and enrich the soil. However, climate change is putting these ecosystems at risk: warmer winters allow bark beetles to be active and breed year-round, and the severe drought conditions currently present in California leave otherwise healthy trees unable to defend against attacks. In this study, we used Google Earth and Landsat-8 imagery of the Sierra National Forest to locate trees that had been damaged by bark beetles between the summers of 2015 and 2016. Additionally, we used an Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) image from summer of 2015 to look for a difference in the spectra of consistently healthy trees compared to spectra of trees which appeared healthy in 2015 but died in 2016. We found that healthy trees were consistently brighter across the spectrum than dying trees. Comparisons using t-tests were made between elevations, slopes, aspects, and spectral indices of a form (Band 1 - Band 2)/(Band 1 + Band 2) on our AVIRIS data. While we were unable to find any specific indices which indicate beetle kills, wavelengths in the ranges of 400-500 and 2200-2500 nanometers showed the most sensitivity when the brightness difference was scaled and removed.

Spruce reproduction dynamics on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, 1987-2000.

Treesearch

Willem W.S. van Hees

2005-01-01

During the past 30 years, spruce forests of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula have undergone dramatic changes resulting from widespread spruce bark beetle(Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) infestation. In 1987 and again in 2000, the Pacific Northwest Research Station's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program conducted initial and remeasurement inventories...

Riparian zones attenuate nitrogen loss following bark beetle-induced lodgepole pine mortality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biederman, Joel A.; Meixner, Thomas; Harpold, Adrian A.; Reed, David E.; Gutmann, Ethan D.; Gaun, Janelle A.; Brooks, Paul D.

2016-03-01

A North American bark beetle infestation has killed billions of trees, increasing soil nitrogen and raising concern for N loss impacts on downstream ecosystems and water resources. There is surprisingly little evidence of stream N response in large basins, which may result from surviving vegetation uptake, gaseous loss, or dilution by streamflow from unimpacted stands. Observations are lacking along hydrologic flow paths connecting soils with streams, challenging our ability to determine where and how attenuation occurs. Here we quantified biogeochemical concentrations and fluxes at a lodgepole pine-dominated site where bark beetle infestation killed 50-60% of trees. We used nested observations along hydrologic flow paths connecting hillslope soils to streams of up to third order. We found soil water NO3 concentrations increased 100-fold compared to prior research at this and nearby southeast Wyoming sites. Nitrogen was lost below the major rooting zone to hillslope groundwater, where dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) increased by 3-10 times (mean 1.65 mg L-1) and NO3-N increased more than 100-fold (3.68 mg L-1) compared to preinfestation concentrations. Most of this N was removed as hillslope groundwater drained through riparian soils, and NO3 remained low in streams. DON entering the stream decreased 50% within 5 km downstream, to concentrations typical of unimpacted subalpine streams (~0.3 mg L-1). Although beetle outbreak caused hillslope N losses similar to other disturbances, up to 5.5 kg ha-1y-1, riparian and in-stream removal limited headwater catchment export to <1 kg ha-1y-1. These observations suggest riparian removal was the dominant mechanism preventing hillslope N loss from impacting streams.

What is Next in Bark Beetle Phylogeography?

PubMed Central

Avtzis, Dimitrios N.; Bertheau, Coralie; Stauffer, Christian

2012-01-01

Bark beetle species within the scolytid genera Dendroctonus, Ips, Pityogenes and Tomicus are known to cause extensive ecological and economical damage in spruce and pine forests during epidemic outbreaks all around the world. Dendroctonus ponderosae poses the most recent example having destroyed almost 100,000 km2 of conifer forests in North America. The success and effectiveness of scolytid species lies mostly in strategies developed over the course of time. Among these, a complex system of semiochemicals promotes the communication and aggregation on the spot of infestation facilitating an en masse attack against a host tree’s defenses; or an association with fungi that evolved either in the form of nutrition (ambrosia fungi) or even by reducing the resistance of host trees (blue-stain fungi). Although often specific to a tree genus or species, some bark beetles are polyphagous and have the ability to switch on to new hosts and extend their host range (i.e., between conifer genera such as Pityogenes chalcographus or even from conifer to deciduous trees as Polygraphus grandiclava). A combination of these capabilities in concert with life history or ecological traits explains why bark beetles are considered interesting subjects in evolutionary studies. Several bark beetle species appear in phylogeographic investigations, in an effort to improve our understanding of their ecology, epidemiology and evolution. In this paper investigations that unveil the phylogeographic history of bark beetles are reviewed. A close association between refugial areas and postglacial migration routes that insects and host trees have followed in the last 15,000 BP has been suggested in many studies. Finally, a future perspective of how next generation sequencing will influence the resolution of phylogeographic patterns in the coming years is presented. Utilization of such novel techniques will provide a more detailed insight into the genome of scolytids facilitating at the same time the application of neutral and non-neutral markers. The latter markers in particular promise to enhance the study of eco-physiological reaction types like the so-called pioneer beetles or obligate diapausing individuals. PMID:26466538

Weather and tree growth associated with white fir mortality caused by fir engraver and roundheaded fir borer

Treesearch

George T. Ferrell; Ralph C. Hall

1975-01-01

White fir (Abides concolor [Cord. & Glend.] Lindl.) stands in Western North America periodically suffer extensive tree mortality caused by outbreaks of the fir engraver bark beetle (Scolytus ventralis Lec.). The cambial zone of the boles infested by S. ventralis is also colonized by the roundheaded fir borer...

Pinyon Needle Scale (FIDL)

Treesearch

William F. McCambridge

1994-01-01

The pinyon needle scale (Matsucoccus acalyptus Herbert) is a native sap-sucking insect found in the Southwest. Feeding by scales weakens trees by killing needles older than 1 year. Sometimes small trees are killed by repeated feeding and large trees weakened to such an extent that they fall victims to attack by the bark beetle Ips confusus (LeConte). Scale infestations...

Intraspecific variation in Fraxinus pennsylvanica responses to emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Treesearch

J.L. Koch; D.W. Carey; M.E. Mason; T.M. Poland; K.S. Knight

2015-01-01

The emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) is a bark and wood boring beetle native to east Asia that was first discovered in North America in 2002. Since then, entire stands of highly susceptible green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall) have been killed within a few years of infestation. We have identified a...

Does red-cockaded woodpecker excavation of resin wells increase risk of bark beetle infestation of cavity trees?

Treesearch

Richard N. Conner; Daniel Saenz; D. Craig Rudolph; William G. Ross; David L. Kulhavy; Robert N. Coulson

2001-01-01

The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is unique among North American woodpeckers in that it nests and roosts almost exclusively in living pines (Pinus spp.) The red-cockaded woodpecker makes daily excavations at small wounds, termed "resin wells," around the cavity entrance and on the bole of the cavity tree...

Assessing forest vulnerability and the potential distribution of pine beetles under current and future climate scenarios in the Interior West of the US

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evangelista, P.H.; Kumar, S.; Stohlgren, T.J.; Young, N.E.

2011-01-01

The aim of our study was to estimate forest vulnerability and potential distribution of three bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) under current and projected climate conditions for 2020 and 2050. Our study focused on the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis), and pine engraver (Ips pini). This study was conducted across eight states in the Interior West of the US covering approximately 2.2millionkm2 and encompassing about 95% of the Rocky Mountains in the contiguous US. Our analyses relied on aerial surveys of bark beetle outbreaks that occurred between 1991 and 2008. Occurrence points for each species were generated within polygons created from the aerial surveys. Current and projected climate scenarios were acquired from the WorldClim database and represented by 19 bioclimatic variables. We used Maxent modeling technique fit with occurrence points and current climate data to model potential beetle distributions and forest vulnerability. Three available climate models, each having two emission scenarios, were modeled independently and results averaged to produce two predictions for 2020 and two predictions for 2050 for each analysis. Environmental parameters defined by current climate models were then used to predict conditions under future climate scenarios, and changes in different species' ranges were calculated. Our results suggested that the potential distribution for bark beetles under current climate conditions is extensive, which coincides with infestation trends observed in the last decade. Our results predicted that suitable habitats for the mountain pine beetle and pine engraver beetle will stabilize or decrease under future climate conditions, while habitat for the western pine beetle will continue to increase over time. The greatest increase in habitat area was for the western pine beetle, where one climate model predicted a 27% increase by 2050. In contrast, the predicted habitat of the mountain pine beetle from another climate model suggested a decrease in habitat areas as great as 46% by 2050. Generally, 2020 and 2050 models that tested the three climate scenarios independently had similar trends, though one climate scenario for the western pine beetle produced contrasting results. Ranges for all three species of bark beetles shifted considerably geographically suggesting that some host species may become more vulnerable to beetle attack in the future, while others may have a reduced risk over time. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Irradiation for Quarantine Control of Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Coffee and a Proposed Generic Dose for Snout Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea).

PubMed

Follett, Peter A

2018-05-05

Coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is the most serious insect pest of coffee worldwide. Green coffee used in blending and roasting is traded between countries and may be subjected to fumigation for disinfestation of CBB. For example, green coffee shipped to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland must be treated with methyl bromide. Irradiation is an alternative disinfestation treatment option. Dose-response tests were conducted with adult beetles to identify a sterilizing dose, followed by large-scale confirmatory tests with adults infesting coffee berries at 100 Gy (measured doses 84-102 Gy). In total, 6,598 adult CBBs naturally infesting dried coffee berries were irradiated at 100 Gy and produced no viable offspring, whereas 1,033 unirradiated controls produced 327 eggs, 411 larvae, and 58 pupae at 3 wk post treatment. This is the first study to develop a postharvest irradiation treatment for a scolytine bark beetle and supports other studies suggesting 150 Gy is sufficient to prevent reproduction in snout beetles in the superfamily Curculionoidea.

Thermal constraints on the emerald ash borer invasion of North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeSantis, R.; Moser, W. K.; Gormanson, D. D.; Bartlett, M. G.

2012-12-01

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire; EAB), a non-native invasive beetle, has caused substantial damage to green (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.), white (Fraxinus americana L.), and black ash (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.), the major ash species of North America. In the absence of effective methods for controlling or eradicating the beetle, EAB continues to spread unimpeded across North America. Evidence indicates the mortality rate for EAB-infested trees near the epicenter of the infestation in southeast Michigan exceeds 99 percent for the major ash species. One possible climatic limitation on the spread of the infestation is suggested by recent work indicating that beetles cannot survive exposure to temperatures below -35.3 degrees Celsius. We considered whether this thermal constraint will limit the spread and distribution of EAB in North America. Historical climatic data for the United States and Canada were employed along with thermal models of the conditions beneath likely winter snowpack and beneath tree bark to predict the potential geographic distribution of the invasion. Results suggested the thermal mortality constraint will not lead to the protection of ash stands across most of North America. However, recent work indicates the majority of beetles cannot survive exposure to temperatures below -30 degrees Celsius. Along with our results, this suggests thermal constraints near the northern and western edges of the ranges of ash might limit EAB survival to some extent, thereby reducing the EAB population, the likelihood of EAB infestation, and subsequent ash mortality.

Diapause and overwintering of two spruce bark beetle species

PubMed Central

Hansen, E. Matthew; Schopf, Axel; Ragland, Gregory J.; Stauffer, Christian; Bentz, Barbara J.

2017-01-01

Abstract Diapause, a strategy to endure unfavourable conditions (e.g. cold winters) is commonly found in ectothermic organisms and is characterized by an arrest of development and reproduction, a reduction of metabolic rate, and an increased resistance to adversity. Diapause, in addition to adaptations for surviving low winter temperatures, significantly influences phenology, voltinism and ultimately population growth. We review the literature on diapause and overwintering behaviour of two bark beetle species that affect spruce‐dominated forests in the northern hemisphere, and describe and compare how these strategies can influence population dynamics. The European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) is the most important forest pest of Norway spruce in Europe. It enters an adult reproductive diapause that might be either facultative or obligate. Obligate diapausing beetles are considered strictly univoltine, entering this dormancy type regardless of environmental cues. Facultative diapausing individuals enter diapause induced by photoperiod, modified by temperature, thus being potentially multivoltine. The spruce beetle Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) infests all spruce species in its natural range in North America. A facultative prepupal diapause is averted by relatively warm temperatures, resulting in a univoltine life cycle, whereas cool temperatures induce prepupal diapause leading to a semivoltine cycle. An adult obligate diapause in D. rufipennis could limit bi‐ or multivoltinism. We discuss and compare the influence of diapause and overwinter survival on voltinism and population dynamics of these two species in a changing climate and provide an outlook on future research. PMID:28979060

Feasibility of using wood wastes to meet local heating requirements of communities in the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.

Treesearch

David L. Nicholls; Peter M. Crimp

2002-01-01

Wood energy can be important in meeting the energy needs of Alaska communities that have access to abundant biomass resources. In the Kenai Peninsula, a continuing spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) infestation has created large volumes of standing dead spruce trees (Picea spp.). For this evaluation, a site in the Kenai-Soldotna...

Visitor preferences for visual changes in bark beetle-impacted forest recreation settings in the United States and Germany

Treesearch

Arne Arnberger; Martin Ebenberger; Ingrid E. Schneider; Stuart Cottrell; Alexander C. Schlueter; Eick von Ruschkowski; Robert C. Venette; Stephanie A. Snyder; Paul H. Gobster

2018-01-01

Extensive outbreaks of tree-killing insects are increasing across forests in Europe and North America due to climate change and other factors. Yet, little recent research examines visitor response to visual changes in conifer forest recreation settings resulting from forest insect infestations, how visitors weigh trade-offs between physical and social forest...

The life cycle and behavior of Cercoleipus coelonotus (Acarina: Mesotigmata)

Treesearch

D.N. Kinn

1970-01-01

Bark beetles kill more standing timber than any other agent, including fire (U.S.D.A. Forest Resource Report No. 14, 1958), and thus constitute a major threat to one of our important natural resources. Since it is often impractical or undesirable to treat infestations chemically (Carson, 1962; Rudd, 1964), more attention is now being given to the study of natural...

High intercontinental migration rates and population admixture in the sapstain fungus Ophiostoma ips

Treesearch

Xudong Zhou; Treena I. Burgess; Z. Wilhelm De Beer; Francois Lieutier; Annie Yart; Kier Klepzig; Angus Carnegie; Julio Mena Portales; Brenda D. Wingfield; Michael J. Wingfield

2006-01-01

Ophiostoma ips is a common fungal associate of various conifer-infesting bark beetles in their native ranges and has been introduced into non-native pine plantations in the Southern Hemisphere. In this study, we used 10 microsatellite markers to investigate the population biology of O. ips in native (Cuba, France, Morocco and USA) and non-native (...

Not all forests are disturbed equally: Population dynamics and resource selection of black-backed woodpeckers in the Black Hills, South Dakota

Treesearch

Christopher Thomas Rota

2013-01-01

Western North American forests are shaped by natural disturbances, which are an important driver of habitat heterogeneity and species diversity. Wildfire and bark beetle infestations are of particular interest to resource managers because of their widespread occurrence and potential economic impacts. These naturally occurring disturbances create habitat for numerous...

Use of real-time GNSS-RF data to characterize the swing movements of forestry equipment

Treesearch

Ryer M. Becker; Robert F. Keefe; Nathaniel M. Anderson

2017-01-01

The western United States faces significant forest management challenges after severe bark beetle infestations have led to substantial mortality. Minimizing costs is vital for increasing the feasibility of management operations in affected forests. Multi‐transmitter Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)‐radio frequencies (RF) technology has applications in the...

Impact of cogongrass management strategies on generalist predators in cogongrass-infested longleaf pine plantations.

PubMed

Sells, Sallie M; Held, David W; Enloe, Stephen F; Loewenstein, Nancy J; Eckhardt, Lori G

2015-03-01

Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica Beav.) is an aggressive, invasive weed with a global distribution. In North America, it threatens the integrity of southeastern pine agroecosystems, including longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). While studies have examined the impacts of cogongrass and various vegetation management strategies on longleaf pine understory plant communities, little is known about how they impact associated insect communities. To understand the effect of cogongrass management strategies on arthropod natural enemies and bark beetles, a split-plot design was used to test fire (whole-plot) and four subplot treatments (control, herbicide, seeding and herbicide plus seeding). Arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps and sweep samples. After 2 years of sampling, total natural enemies were not significantly affected by subplot treatment but were affected by burn treatment. Upon subdividing natural enemies into groups, only spiders were significantly affected by subplot treatment, but predatory beetles and ants were significantly affected by burn treatment. The abundance of root-feeding bark beetles (Hylastes spp.) was not significant by subplot or whole-plot treatments. Multiple applications of herbicide remain the most effective way to manage cogongrass in longleaf pine. In this study, we found limited evidence that cogongrass management with herbicides would negatively impact arthropod natural enemies associated with longleaf pine or locally increase root-feeding bark beetles. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Colonization of disturbed trees by the southern pine bark beetle guild (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flamm, R.O.; Pulley, P.E.; Coulson, R.N.

1993-02-01

The southern pine bark beetle guild [Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, D. terebrans (Olivier), Ips calligraphus (Germar), I. grandicollis (Eichhoff), and I. avulsus (Eichhoff)] uses disturbed hosts as habitat for establishment of within-tree populations. The process of colonization of disturbed hosts was examined. Using a procedure designed to emulate effects of a lightning strike, pines were severely disturbed. Response was characterized by measuring beetle populations that (1) arrived at the trees and (2) successfully attacked the trees. Establishment of within-tree populations was characterized by measuring length of egg gallery excavated by attacking adults. The time delay between arrival and attack for D.more » frontalis and I. calligraphus was also calculated. Attack densities of both species became asymptotic as arrival increased. The percentage of arriving beetles that attacked ranged from 9 to 41 for D. frontalis and from 8 to 59 for I. calligraphus. Numbers of beetles that arrived at the tree but did not attack ranged from 2.7 to 50.2 beetles per dm[sup 2] for D. frontalis and from 0.2 to 10.0 beetles per dm[sup 2] for I. calligraphus. Most D. frontalis and I. calligraphus attacked on the day they arrived. The delay between arrival and attack was longer for I. calligraphus than the D. frontalis. Egg gallery excavated by D. frontalis increased throughout the study. Eventually, the Ips species were excluded from the lower half of the hole. The low attack densities observed in this study illustrate the significance of disturbed trees in providing refuges for enzootic levels of bark beetles. The aggregation behavior of beetle populations colonizing disturbed hosts supported the contention that these trees serve as foci for initiation of infestations. Furthermore, in disturbed pines, small numbers of beetles were capable of overcoming host defense systems.« less

Changes in metal mobility associated with bark beetle-induced tree mortality.

PubMed

Mikkelson, Kristin M; Bearup, Lindsay A; Navarre-Sitchler, Alexis K; McCray, John E; Sharp, Jonathan O

2014-05-01

Recent large-scale beetle infestations have caused extensive mortality to conifer forests resulting in alterations to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cycling, which in turn can impact metal mobility through complexation. This study analyzed soil-water samples beneath impacted trees in concert with laboratory flow-through soil column experiments to explore possible impacts of the bark beetle infestation on metal release and transport. The columns mimicked field conditions by introducing pine needle leachate and artificial rainwater through duplicate homogenized soil columns and measuring effluent metal (focusing on Al, Cu, and Zn) and DOC concentrations. All three metals were consistently found in higher concentrations in the effluent of columns receiving pine needle leachate. In both the field and laboratory, aluminum mobility was largely correlated with the hydrophobic fraction of the DOC, while copper had the largest correlation with total DOC concentrations. Geochemical speciation modeling supported the presence of DOC-metal complexes in column experiments. Copper soil water concentrations in field samples supported laboratory column results, as they were almost twice as high under grey phase trees than under red phase trees further signifying the importance of needle drop. Pine needle leachate contained high concentrations of Zn (0.1 mg l(-1)), which led to high effluent zinc concentrations and sorption of zinc to the soil matrix representing a future potential source for release. In support, field soil-water samples underneath beetle-impacted trees where the needles had recently fallen contained approximately 50% more zinc as samples from under beetle-impacted trees that still held their needles. The high concentrations of carbon in the pine needle leachate also led to increased sorption in the soil matrix creating the potential for subsequent carbon release. While unclear if manifested in adjacent surface waters, these results demonstrate an increased potential for Zn, Cu, and Al mobility, along with increased deposition of metals and carbon beneath beetle-impacted trees.

Assessing mechanical mastication and thinning-piling-burning treatments on the pinyon-juniper woodlands of southwestern Colorado

Treesearch

Gerald Gottfried; Steve Overby

2011-01-01

New knowledge of fire regimes in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of the interior western United States has altered management views. Once known as being at low wildfire risk, these woodlands are now at a higher risk for severe wildfires because of high tree densities exacerbated by ongoing drought and region-wide bark beetle (Ips confusus) infestation. To help reduce...

High intercontinental migration rates and population admixture in the sapstain fungus Ophiostoma ips

Treesearch

Xudong Zhou; Treena I. Burgess; Wilhelm De Beer; Francois Lieutier; Annie Yart; Angus Carnegie; Julio Mena Portales; Brenda D. Wingfield; Michael J. Wingfield

2007-01-01

Ophiostoma ips is a common fungal associate of various conifer-infesting bark beetles in their native ranges and has been introduced into non-native pine plantations in the Southern Hemisphere. In this study, we used 10 microsatellite markers to investigate the population biology of O. ips in native (Cuba, France, Morocco and USA) and non-native (Australia, Chile and...

Resiliency of an interior ponderosa pine forest to bark beetle infestations following fuel-reduction and forest-restoration treatments

Treesearch

Christopher J Fettig; Stephen R. McKelvey

2014-01-01

Mechanical thinning and the application of prescribed fire are commonly used to restore fire-adapted forest ecosystems in the western United States. During a 10-year period, we monitored the effects of fuel-reduction and forest-restoration treatments on levels of tree mortality in an interior ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., forest...

Susceptibility of loblolly x slash pine interspecific F1 hybrids to tip moth infestation and fusiform rust infection in a south Mississippi planting

Treesearch

M.T. Highsmith; L.H. Lott; C.D. Nelson

2005-01-01

Tip moth damage and fusiform rust incidence among families of three loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) parent trees from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas that were selected for southern pine bark beetle resistance and three slash pines (Pinus elliotti var. elliotti) selected for different levels of fusiform rust resistance, and five of their interspecific...

The effects of hazardous fuel reduction treatments in the wildland urban interface on the activity of bark beetles infesting ponderosa pine

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Joel D. McMillin; John. A. Anhold; Shakeeb M. Hamud; Steven J. Seybold; Robert R. Borys

2008-01-01

(Please note, this is an abstract only) Selective logging, fire suppression, forest succession, and climatic changes have resulted in high fire hazards over large areas of the western United States. Federal and state hazardous fuel reduction programs have increased accordingly to reduce the risk, extent and severity of these events, particularly in the wildland urban...

Catchment response to bark beetle outbreak and dust-on-snow in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livneh, Ben; Deems, Jeffrey S.; Buma, Brian; Barsugli, Joseph J.; Schneider, Dominik; Molotch, Noah P.; Wolter, K.; Wessman, Carol A.

2015-04-01

Since 2002, the headwaters of the Colorado River and nearby basins have experienced extensive changes in land cover at sub-annual timescales. Widespread tree mortality from bark beetle infestation has taken place across a range of forest types, elevation, and latitude. Extent and severity of forest structure alteration have been observed through a combination of aerial survey, satellite remote-sensing, and in situ measurements. Additional perturbations have resulted from deposition of dust from regional dry-land sources on mountain snowpacks that strongly alter the snow surface albedo, driving earlier and faster snowmelt runoff. One challenge facing past studies of these forms of disturbance is the relatively small magnitude of the disturbance signals within the larger climatic signal. The combined impacts of forest disturbance and dust-on-snow are explored within a hydrologic modeling framework. We drive the Distributed Hydrology Soil and Vegetation Model (DHSVM) with observed meteorological data, time-varying maps of leaf area index and forest properties to emulate bark beetle impacts, and parameterizations of snow albedo based on observations of dust forcing. Results from beetle-killed canopy alteration suggest slightly greater snow accumulation as a result of less interception and reduced canopy sublimation and evapotranspiration, contributing to overall increases in annual water yield between 8% and 13%. However, understory regeneration roughly halves the changes in water yield. A purely observation-based estimate of runoff coefficient change with cumulative forest mortality shows comparable sensitivities to simulated results; however, positive water yield changes are not statistically significant (p ⩽ 0.05). The primary hydrologic impact of dust-on-snow forcing is an increased rate of snowmelt associated with more extreme dust deposition, producing earlier peak streamflow rates on the order of 1-3 weeks. Simulations of combined bark beetle and dust-on-snow produced little compounding effects, due to the relatively exclusive nature of their impacts. Potential changes in water yield and peak streamflow timing have important implications for regional water management decisions.

Proceedings from the Third Workshop on Genetics of Bark Beetles and Associated Microorganisms

Treesearch

Barbara Bentz; Anthony Cognato; Kenneth Raffa

2007-01-01

These proceedings provide a synopsis of the Third Workshop on Genetics of Bark Beetles and Association Microorganisms, which was held May 20-2, 2006 in Asheville, NC. Twenty- five participants from five countries attended the meeting. The proceedings are structured into four parts: Phylogenetics of Bark Beetles, Population Genetics of Bark Beetles, Bark Beetle Gene...

Attraction of bark beetle predator, Thanasimus undatulus (Coleoptera: Cleridae), to pheromones of the spruce beetle and two secondary bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Treesearch

Therese M. Poland; John H. Borden

1997-01-01

The bark beetle predator Thanasimus undatulus Say was captured in statistically significant numbers (total catch = 470, 713, and 137) in three field experiments using multiple-funnel traps baited with various combinations of pheromones for the spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby, and the secondary bark beetles ...

Beetle Kill Wall at NREL

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-22

When it comes to designing an interior decorative feature for one of the most energy efficient office buildings in the world, very few would consider bringing in a beetle to do the job. But thats what happened at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Research Support Facility (RSF) located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus.In June, the RSF will become home to more than 800 workers from DOE and NREL and building visitors will be greeted with a soaring, two-story high wall entirely covered with wood harvested from the bark beetle infestation that has killed millions of pine trees in the Western U.S. But, the use of beetle kill wood is just one example of the resources being leveraged to make the RSF a model for sustainability and one more step toward NRELs goal to be a net zero energy campus.

Colonization behaviors of mountain pine beetle on novel hosts: Implications for range expansion into northeastern North America

PubMed Central

Venette, Robert C.; Maddox, Mitchell P.; Aukema, Brian H.

2017-01-01

As climates change, thermal limits may no longer constrain some native herbivores within their historical ranges. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a tree-killing bark beetle native to western North America that is currently expanding its range. Continued eastward expansion through the newly invaded and novel jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees of the Canadian boreal forest could result in exposure of several species of novel potential host pines common in northeastern North America to this oligophagous herbivore. Due to the tightly co-evolved relationship between mountain pine beetle and western pine hosts, in which the insect utilizes the defensive chemistry of the host to stimulate mass attacks, we hypothesized that lack of co-evolutionary association would affect the host attraction and acceptance behaviors of this insect among novel hosts, particularly those with little known historical association with an aggressive stem-infesting insect. We studied how beetle behavior differed among the various stages of colonization on newly cut logs of four novel potential pine host species; jack, red (P. resinosa Ait.), eastern white (P. strobus L.) and Scots (P. sylvestris L.) pines, as well as two historical hosts, ponderosa (P. ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws. var. scopulorum Engelm.) and lodgepole (P. contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) pines. Overall, we found that beetle colonization behaviors at each stage in the colonization process differ between pine hosts, likely due to differing chemical and physical bark traits. Pines without co-evolved constitutive defenses against mountain pine beetle exhibited reduced amounts of defensive monoterpenoid chemicals; however, such patterns also reduced beetle attraction and colonization. Neither chemical nor physical defenses fully defended trees against the various stages of host procurement that can result in tree colonization and death. PMID:28472047

Colonization behaviors of mountain pine beetle on novel hosts: Implications for range expansion into northeastern North America.

PubMed

Rosenberger, Derek W; Venette, Robert C; Maddox, Mitchell P; Aukema, Brian H

2017-01-01

As climates change, thermal limits may no longer constrain some native herbivores within their historical ranges. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a tree-killing bark beetle native to western North America that is currently expanding its range. Continued eastward expansion through the newly invaded and novel jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees of the Canadian boreal forest could result in exposure of several species of novel potential host pines common in northeastern North America to this oligophagous herbivore. Due to the tightly co-evolved relationship between mountain pine beetle and western pine hosts, in which the insect utilizes the defensive chemistry of the host to stimulate mass attacks, we hypothesized that lack of co-evolutionary association would affect the host attraction and acceptance behaviors of this insect among novel hosts, particularly those with little known historical association with an aggressive stem-infesting insect. We studied how beetle behavior differed among the various stages of colonization on newly cut logs of four novel potential pine host species; jack, red (P. resinosa Ait.), eastern white (P. strobus L.) and Scots (P. sylvestris L.) pines, as well as two historical hosts, ponderosa (P. ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws. var. scopulorum Engelm.) and lodgepole (P. contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) pines. Overall, we found that beetle colonization behaviors at each stage in the colonization process differ between pine hosts, likely due to differing chemical and physical bark traits. Pines without co-evolved constitutive defenses against mountain pine beetle exhibited reduced amounts of defensive monoterpenoid chemicals; however, such patterns also reduced beetle attraction and colonization. Neither chemical nor physical defenses fully defended trees against the various stages of host procurement that can result in tree colonization and death.

Ophiostomatoid fungi associated with conifer-infesting beetles and their phoretic mites in Yunnan, China

PubMed Central

Chang, Runlei; Duong, Tuan A.; Taerum, Stephen J.; Wingfield, Michael J.; Zhou, Xudong; de Beer, Z. Wilhelm

2017-01-01

Abstract The Ophiostomatales is an Ascomycete order of fungi that accommodates several tree pathogens and many species that degrade wood. These fungi are commonly vectored by Scolytine bark and ambrosia beetles. In recent years it has also been shown that hyperphoretic mites on these beetles can vector some Ophiostomatales. Little is known regarding the Ophiostomatales in China and we have consequently explored the diversity of these fungi associated with conifer-infesting beetles and mites in Yunnan province. Galleries and beetles were collected for 17 beetle species, while 13 mite species were obtained from six of these beetle species. Collectively, 340 fungal isolates were obtained, 45 from beetles, 184 from mites, 56 from galleries and 55 isolates where the specific niche was not clear. DNA sequences for five gene regions (ITS, LSU, BT, EF, and CAL) were determined for fungal isolates representing different morphological groups. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of 19 fungal taxa, including five novel species described here as Ophiostoma acarorum sp. nov., Ophiostoma brevipilosi sp. nov., Graphilbum kesiyae sp. nov., Graphilbum puerense sp. nov., and Leptographium ningerense sp. nov. Ophiostoma ips was the most frequently isolated species, representing approximately 31% of all isolates. Six of 19 taxa were present on mites, beetles and in the galleries of the beetles, while three species were found on mites and galleries. Two species were found only on mites and one species only on a beetle. Although the numbers of beetles and mites were insufficient to provide statistical inferences, this study confirmed that mites are important vectors of the Ophiostomatales in China. We hypothesize that these mites are most likely responsible for horizontal transfer of fungal species between galleries of different beetle species. The fact that half of the fungal species found were new to science, suggests that the forests of east Asia include many undescribed Ophiostomatales yet to be discovered. PMID:29559821

Monitoring forest land from high altitude and from space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Forest inventory, forest stress, and standardization and calibration studies are presented. These include microscale photointerpretation of forest and nonforest land classes, multiseasonal film densities for automated forest and nonforest land classification, trend and spread of bark beetle infestations from 1968 through 1971, aerial photography for determining optimum levels of stand density to reduce such infestations, use of airborne spectrometers and multispectral scanners for previsual detection of Ponderosa pine trees under stress from insects and diseases, establishment of an earth resources technology satellite test site in the Black Hills and the identification of natural resolution targets, detection of root disease impact on forest stands by sequential orbital and suborbital multispectral photography, and calibration of color aerial photography.

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Bark and Ambrosia Beetles in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest

PubMed Central

de Novais, Samuel Matos Antunes; Monteiro, Graziela França; Flechtmann, Carlos Alberto Hector; de Faria, Maurício Lopes; Neves, Frederico de Siqueira

2016-01-01

Bark and the ambrosia beetles dig into host plants and live most of their lives in concealed tunnels. We assessed beetle community dynamics in tropical dry forest sites in early, intermediate, and late successional stages, evaluating the influence of resource availability and seasonal variations in guild structure. We collected a total of 763 beetles from 23 species, including 14 bark beetle species, and 9 ambrosia beetle species. Local richness of bark and ambrosia beetles was estimated at 31 species. Bark and ambrosia composition was similar over the successional stages gradient, and beta diversity among sites was primarily determined by species turnover, mainly in the bark beetle community. Bark beetle richness and abundance were higher at intermediate stages; availability of wood was the main spatial mechanism. Climate factors were effectively non-seasonal. Ambrosia beetles were not influenced by successional stages, however the increase in wood resulted in increased abundance. We found higher richness at the end of the dry and wet seasons, and abundance increased with air moisture and decreased with higher temperatures and greater rainfall. In summary, bark beetle species accumulation was higher at sites with better wood production, while the needs of fungi (host and air moisture), resulted in a favorable conditions for species accumulation of ambrosia. The overall biological pattern among guilds differed from tropical rain forests, showing patterns similar to dry forest areas. PMID:27271969

Fires following bark beetles: Factors controlling severity and disturbance interactions in ponderosa pine

Treesearch

Carolyn H. Sieg; Rodman R. Linn; Francois Pimont; Chad M. Hoffman; Joel D. McMillin; Judith Winterkamp; L. Scott Baggett

2017-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that bark beetles and fires can be interacting disturbances, whereby bark beetle-caused tree mortality can alter the risk and severity of subsequent wildland fires. However, there remains considerable uncertainty around the type and magnitude of the interaction between fires following bark beetle attacks, especially in drier forest types...

Disruption by conophthorin of the kairomonal response of sawyer beetles to bark beetle pheromones.

PubMed

Morewood, W D; Simmonds, K E; Gries, R; Allison, J D; Borden, J H

2003-09-01

Antennally active nonhost angiosperm bark volatiles were tested for their ability to reduce the response of three common species of coniferophagous wood-boring Cerambycidae to attractant-baited multiple funnel traps in the southern interior of British Columbia. Of the nonhost volatiles tested, only conophthorin was behaviorally active, disrupting the attraction of sawyer beetles, Monochamus spp., to traps baited with the host volatiles alpha-pinene and ethanol and the bark beetle pheromones ipsenol and ipsdienol. Conophthorin did not affect the attraction of sawyer beetles to the host kairomones alpha-pinene and ethanol in the absence of bark beetle pheromones, nor did it have any behavioral effect on adults of Xylotrechus longitarsis, which were not attracted to bark beetle pheromones. These results indicate that conophthorin does not act as a general repellent for coniferophagous Cerambycidae, as it seems to do for many species of Scolytidae, but has the specific activity of disrupting the kairomonal response of sawyer beetles to bark beetle pheromones.

Influence of elevation on bark beetle community structure in ponderosa pine stands of northern Arizona

Treesearch

Andrew Miller; Kelly Barton; Joel McMillin; Tom DeGomez; Karen Clancy; John Anhold

2008-01-01

(Please note, this is an abstract only) Bark beetles killed more than 20 million ponderosa pine trees in Arizona during 2002-2004. Historically, bark beetle populations remained endemic and ponderosa pine mortality was limited to localized areas in Arizona. Consequently, there is a lack of information on bark beetle community structure in ponderosa pine stands of...

Effect of verbenone on five species of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Lodgepole pine forests

Treesearch

B. Staffan Lindren; Daniel R. Miller

2002-01-01

The response by five species of bark beetles to a range of verbenone doses were tested in bioassays using Lindgren funnel traps baited with attractant semiochemicals. The objective was to determine how these bark beetles respond to verbenone, a purported anti-aggregation pheromone of several economically significant bark beetle species. Catches of Dendroctonus...

Dutch elm disease pathogen transmission by the banded elm bark beetle Scolytus schevyrewi

Treesearch

W. R. Jacobi; R. D. Koski; J. F. Negron

2013-01-01

Dutch Elm Disease (DED) is a vascular wilt disease of Ulmus species (elms) incited in North America primarily by the exotic fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. The pathogen is transmitted via root grafts and elm bark beetle vectors, including the native North American elm bark beetle, Hylurgopinus rufipes and the exotic smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus...

Bark Beetle Impacts on Ecosystem Processes are Over Quickly and Muted Spatially

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ewers, B. E.; Norton, U.; Borkhuu, B.; Reed, D. E.; Peckham, S. D.; Biederman, J. A.; King, A.; Gochis, D. J.; Brooks, P. D.; Harpold, A. A.; Frank, J. M.; Massman, W. J.; Mackay, D. S.; Pendall, E. G.

2013-12-01

The recent epidemic of bark beetles across western North America has impacted conifers from low to high elevations from New Mexico to Yukon. The mechanism of mortality is clear, with both mountain pine and spruce beetles killing trees by introducing xylem occluding blue stain fungi which dramatically stops transpiration. The visual impact of this outbreak is stunning, with mortality of canopy trees over 90% in some stands. However, emerging work shows that the impact on ecosystem processes is not as dramatic. We hypothesize that increased soil water and nitrogen sets up rapid succession of plant communities, which quickly restores ecosystem processing of water, carbon and nitrogen, while spatial patchiness of mortality and belowground responses mutes the impact as spatial scale increases from stands to watersheds. In support of our hypothesis we found 1) Soil nitrogen and moisture increase within one growing season but decrease to the same as uninfested stands five years later. 2) Soil respiration is correlated with live tree basal area suggesting a large component of autotrophic respiration. 3) Once stands have more than 50% basal area mortality, seedling density increases up to five fold and total non-tree understory cover increased two fold both within five years after infestation. 4) Ecosystem scale estimates of water vapor fluxes do not decline as rapidly as overstory leaf area. 5) Stable isotopes of snow, soil and stream water suggest that increased below canopy evapotranspiration nearly compensates for reduced canopy transpiration. 6) Nested watershed data shows that precipitation variations are much more important in regulating streamflow than changes in canopies from bark beetle induced mortality. These results were tested in the Terrestrial Regional Ecosystem Exchange Simulator (TREES) model. TREES was able to predict annual changes in the carbon fluxes but had difficulty simulating soil moisture and annual water budgets likely due to inadequate abiotic water vapor flux mechanisms and an explicit understory canopy layer. Our results show that ecosystems are resilient to the bark beetle epidemic and the resulting ecosystem process change is much less dramatic than might be expected based on the visual impact.

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Bark and Ambrosia Beetles in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest.

PubMed

Macedo-Reis, Luiz Eduardo; Novais, Samuel Matos Antunes de; Monteiro, Graziela França; Flechtmann, Carlos Alberto Hector; Faria, Maurício Lopes de; Neves, Frederico de Siqueira

2016-01-01

Bark and the ambrosia beetles dig into host plants and live most of their lives in concealed tunnels. We assessed beetle community dynamics in tropical dry forest sites in early, intermediate, and late successional stages, evaluating the influence of resource availability and seasonal variations in guild structure. We collected a total of 763 beetles from 23 species, including 14 bark beetle species, and 9 ambrosia beetle species. Local richness of bark and ambrosia beetles was estimated at 31 species. Bark and ambrosia composition was similar over the successional stages gradient, and beta diversity among sites was primarily determined by species turnover, mainly in the bark beetle community. Bark beetle richness and abundance were higher at intermediate stages; availability of wood was the main spatial mechanism. Climate factors were effectively non-seasonal. Ambrosia beetles were not influenced by successional stages, however the increase in wood resulted in increased abundance. We found higher richness at the end of the dry and wet seasons, and abundance increased with air moisture and decreased with higher temperatures and greater rainfall. In summary, bark beetle species accumulation was higher at sites with better wood production, while the needs of fungi (host and air moisture), resulted in a favorable conditions for species accumulation of ambrosia. The overall biological pattern among guilds differed from tropical rain forests, showing patterns similar to dry forest areas. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

Management of western North American bark beetles with semiochemicals

Treesearch

Steven J. Seybold; Barbara J. Bentz; Christopher J. Fettig; John E. Lundquist; Robert A. Progar; Nancy E. Gillette

2018-01-01

We summarize the status of semiochemical-based management of the major bark beetle species in western North America. The conifer forests of this region have a long history of profound impacts by phloem-feeding bark beetles, and species such as the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and the spruce beetle (D. rufipennis) have recently undergone epic outbreaks...

Occurrence of gum spots in black cherry after partial harvest cutting

Treesearch

Charles O. Rexrode; H. Clay Smith; H. Clay Smith

1990-01-01

Bark beetles, primarily the bark beetle Phlosotribus liminori (Harris), are the major cause of gum spots in sawtimber-size black cherry Prunus serotina Ehrh. Approximately 90 percent of all gum spots in the bole sections are caused by bark beetles. Gum spots were studied in 95 black cherry trees near Parsons, West Virginia. Over 50 percent of the bark beetle-caused gum...

Proceedings of a workshop on bark beetle genetics: current status of research. May 17-18, 1992, Berkeley, California

Treesearch

Jane L. Hayes; Jacqueline L. Robertson

1992-01-01

The Proceedings reports the results of a workshop focusing on the topic of bark beetle genetics. The workshop evolved because of the growing interest in this relatively unexplored area of bark beetle research. Workshop participants submitted brief descriptions of their views of the current status of bark beetle genetic research and needs for the future. Contributions...

Mercury in the central European lake district - case study Plešné lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navratil, Tomas; Rohovec, Jan; Novakova, Tereza; Matouskova, Sarka; Kopacek, Jiri; Kana, Jiri

2017-04-01

The central European lake district extends within the Bohemian forest and Bavarian forest Mountains. It includes 8 glacial lakes extending in altitudes from 935 to 1087 m a.s.l. All of them have been oligotrophic and forests of the lake catchments are dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies). Plešné lake (PL) catchment is at 1087 m .a.s.l. and it covers area of 0.67 km2. In 2004, the forest at PL catchment was infested by the bark beetle (Ips typographus) and 88%-99% of trees had died by 2011. In contrast to relatively detailed research of North American and Scandinavian lake ecosystems the information concerning Hg contamination of central European lake ecosystems are rather scarce. The PL ecosystem can provide base for assessment of Hg contamination as well as for changes induced by the bark beetle infestation. In 2016, mean annual Hg concentration in bulk precipitation at Plešné lake reached 3.0 ng/L and bulk Hg deposition flux amounted at 4.6 µg/m2. The most important pathway of Hg deposition to the forest ecosystems has been litterfall. The highest Hg concentrations in litterfall material at PL were found in lichens 205 µg/kg, mixture of unidentifiable organic debris 159 µg/kg and bark 123 µg/kg. Litterfall spruce needles averaged at 56 µg/kg, only. Removal of spruce due to bark beetle infestation caused decrease of litterfall Hg fluxes. Recent litterfall fluxes in the unimpacted stands reached 55.8 µg/m2, while in the impacted dead stands they amounted 23.0 µg/m2, only. The qualitative composition of the litterfall in the infested stands was typical with absence of needles and prevalence of twigs and bark. To assess changes in Hg distribution within the soil profile due to forest dieback the soil data from year 1999 were compared with 2015 data. The mean Hg concentrations in the O horizons decreased from 424 to 311 µg/kg between years 1999 and 2015, and in A horizons the situation was reversed and an increase from 353 to 501 µg/kg occurred. The means of Hg concentration in mineral soil remained relatively similar at 145 and 121 µg/kg. Increased Hg concentrations in A horizons were concurrent with increased organic C concentrations from 24.5% in 1999 to 39.9% in 2015. Ratio Hg/C in the A horizon remained rather comparable (1.27 and 1.47). In O horizons Hg/C ratio decreased from 0.9 to 0.5 comparing 1999 and 2015 due to changes in litterfall composition and total deposition due to canopy absence since 2005. Tributaries and lake water Hg concentrations were assessed to estimate the fluxes of Hg within lake catchment. PL lake water contained on average 4.4 ng/L of Hg and 8.2 mg/L of DOC. Mean annual Hg concentration in four lake tributaries ranged from 2.0 to 16.5 ng/L. The differences in Hg concentrations among individual streams were driven by DOC concentrations ranging from 2.1 to 21.2 mg/L. The differences between the Hg and DOC concentrations tributaries result from differences in hydrology of the individual sub-catchments. The financial support was provided by the Czech Science Foundation project No. GA16-14762S.

Trophic habits of mesostigmatid mites associated with bark beetles in Mexico

Treesearch

M. Patricia Chaires-Grijalva; Edith G. Estrada-Venegas; Armando Equihua-Martinez; John C. Moser; Stacy R. Blomquist

2016-01-01

Samples of bark and logs damaged by bark beetles were collected from 16 states of Mexico from 2007 to 2012. Fifteen bark beetle species were found within the bark and log samples and were examined for phoretic mites and arthropod associates. Thirty-three species of mesostigmatid mites were discovered within the samples. They were identified in several trophic guilds...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

When it comes to designing an interior decorative feature for one of the most energy efficient office buildings in the world, very few would consider bringing in a beetle to do the job. But thats what happened at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Research Support Facility (RSF) located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus.In June, the RSF will become home to more than 800 workers from DOE and NREL and building visitors will be greeted with a soaring, two-story high wall entirely covered with wood harvested from the bark beetle infestation that has killed millions of pinemore » trees in the Western U.S. But, the use of beetle kill wood is just one example of the resources being leveraged to make the RSF a model for sustainability and one more step toward NRELs goal to be a net zero energy campus.« less

Impacts of silvicultural thinning treatments on beetle trap captures and tree attacks during low bark beetle populations in ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona.

PubMed

Gaylord, M L; Hofstetter, R W; Wagner, M R

2010-10-01

Our research used a combination of passive traps, funnel traps with lures, baited trees, and surveys of long-term thinning plots to assess the impacts of different levels of stand basal area (BA) on bark beetle tree attack and on trap captures of Ips spp., Dendroctonus spp., and their predators. The study occurred at two sites in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., forests, from 2004 to 2007 during low bark beetle populations. Residual stand BA ranged from 9.0 to 37.0 m2/ha. More predators and bark beetles were collected in passive traps in stands of lower BA than in stands of higher BA; however, significance varied by species and site, and total number of beetles collected was low. Height of the clear panel passive traps affected trap catches for some species at some sites and years. When pheromone lures were used with funnel traps [Ips pini (Say) lure: lanierone, +03/-97 ipsdienol], we found no significant difference in trap catches among basal area treatments for bark beetles and their predators. Similarly, when trees were baited (Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte lure: myrcene, exo-brevicomin and frontalin), we found no significant difference for days to first bark beetle attack. Surveys of long-term thinning treatments found evidence of bark beetle attacks only in unthinned plots (approximately 37 m2/ha basal area). We discuss our results in terms of management implications for bark beetle trapping and control.

Proceedings of a workshop on bark beetle genetics: current status of research. Workshop on Bark Beetle Genetics; 1998 July 17-18; Madison, WI.

Treesearch

Jane L. Hayes; Kenneth F. Raffa

1999-01-01

This proceedings contains contributions from each author or group of authors who presented their current research at the bark beetle genetics workshop held 17-18 July 1998 on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. This was the second meeting on this subject; the first was held in 1992. The subject of bark beetle genetics is of growing,...

Semiochemical sabotage: behavioral chemicals for protection of western conifers from bark beetles

Treesearch

Nancy. E. Gillette; A. Steve Munson

2009-01-01

The discovery and elucidation of volatile behavioral chemicals used by bark beetles to locate hosts and mates has revealed a rich potential for humans to sabotage beetle host-finding and reproduction. Here, we present a description of currently available semiochemical methods for use in monitoring and controlling bark beetle pests in western conifer forests. Delivery...

The Rocky Mountain Epidemic of Bark Beetles and Blue Stain Fungi Cause Cascading Effects on Coupled Water, C and N cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ewers, B. E.; Pendall, E.; Norton, U.; Reed, D.; Franks, J.; Aston, T.; Whitehouse, F.; Barnard, H. R.; Brooks, P. D.; Angstmann, J.; Massman, W. J.; Williams, D. G.; Harpold, A. A.; Biederman, J.; Edburg, S. L.; Meddens, A. J.; Gochis, D. J.; Hicke, J. A.

2010-12-01

The ongoing epidemic of bark beetles and their associated xylem blocking blue-stain fungi is unprecedented in Rocky Mountain subalpine forests. As this epidemic continues, we seek to improve our predictive understanding of coupled water, C and N cycles by quantifying how these cycles may become uncoupled in response to the outbreak. Our specific questions are 1) how does the rapid drop in individual tree transpiration impact the temporal and spatial extent of evapotranspiration and 2) how does the subsequent increase in soil moisture and lower C inputs and N uptake impact soil C and N fluxes? We address these questions in two forest ecosystems using eddy covariance, sap flux, leaf gas exchange, plant hydraulic conductance, vegetation characteristics and soil trace gas measurements. We applied two sampling designs 1) subdivide the lodgepole pine forest spatially into varying degrees of bark beetle and blue stain infection and 2) follow the fluxes as the outbreak continues at a point in space encompassing the range of spatial variability in mortality. The first order impact of the bark beetle and blue stain fungi is dramatic in all tree species with a greater than 50% reduction in transpiration per tree within a month of infection. This change occurs even before the characteristic red tinge occurs in the needles or before the sapwood is stained blue. Leaf stomatal conductance declines more than either the biochemical or light harvesting components of photosynthesis immediately after infestation. The annual C sink at the spruce/fir forest has declined from -2.88 to -0.57 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 from 2006 to 2009. Annual evapotranspiration (ET) over the last five years at the spruce/fir forest now has an inverse relationship with precipitation because the last two years have seen a dramatic decrease (from 73 to 59 cm/year) in ET while precipitation has increased (from ~100 to 140 cm/year). Soil moisture in both forests has increased up to 100% within one growing season in lodgepole pine stands with high mortality. At the spruce/fir forest, July soil moisture has increased more than 30% over the last five years. Soil respiration has declined likely from lower labile C inputs while CH4 consumption has decreased due to higher soil moisture. N2O fluxes have increased with mineral N availability. Our results suggest that C, N and water cycles have become decoupled within two years of infestation. However, these soil impacts are not yet as dramatic when scaled up to the eddy covariance footprint which includes uninfested areas. We test these mechanisms at larger scales and investigate C and N cycles as succession occurs using the Community Land Model (CLM).

The influence of silhouette color and orientation on arrival and emergence of Ips pine engravers and their predators in loblolly pine

Treesearch

R.A. Goyer; G.J. Lenhard; Brian L. Strom

2004-01-01

Insects that rely upon aggressive bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) for generating appropriate habitats (natural enemies and associated species) must respond to a variety of stimuli used by bark beetles, including semiochemical and visual cues. In the southeastern US, Ips engraver beetles are non-aggressive bark beetles that exploit both standing...

Mountain pine beetle host selection between lodgepole and ponderosa pines in the southern Rocky Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

West, Daniel R.; Briggs, Jenny S.; Jacobi, William R.; Negron, Jose F.

2016-01-01

Recent evidence of range expansion and host transition by mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) has suggested that MPB may not primarily breed in their natal host, but will switch hosts to an alternate tree species. As MPB populations expanded in lodgepole pine forests in the southern Rocky Mountains, we investigated the potential for movement into adjacent ponderosa pine forests. We conducted field and laboratory experiments to evaluate four aspects of MPB population dynamics and host selection behavior in the two hosts: emergence timing, sex ratios, host choice, and reproductive success. We found that peak MPB emergence from both hosts occurred simultaneously between late July and early August, and the sex ratio of emerging beetles did not differ between hosts. In two direct tests of MPB host selection, we identified a strong preference by MPB for ponderosa versus lodgepole pine. At field sites, we captured naturally emerging beetles from both natal hosts in choice arenas containing logs of both species. In the laboratory, we offered sections of bark and phloem from both species to individual insects in bioassays. In both tests, insects infested ponderosa over lodgepole pine at a ratio of almost 2:1, regardless of natal host species. Reproductive success (offspring/female) was similar in colonized logs of both hosts. Overall, our findings suggest that MPB may exhibit equally high rates of infestation and fecundity in an alternate host under favorable conditions.

Predicting live and dead basal area in bark beetle-affected forests from discrete-return LiDAR

Treesearch

Andrew T. Hudak; Ben Bright; Jose Negron; Robert McGaughey; Hans-Erik Andersen; Jeffrey A. Hicke

2012-01-01

Recent bark beetle outbreaks in western North America have been widespread and severe. High tree mortality due to bark beetles affects the fundamental ecosystem processes of primary production and decomposition that largely determine carbon balance (Kurz et al. 2008, Pfeifer et al. 2011, Hicke et al. 2012). Forest managers need accurate data on beetle-induced tree...

Mountain Pine Beetle

Treesearch

Gene D. Amman; Mark D. McGregor; Robert E. Jr. Dolph

1989-01-01

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a member of a group of beetles known as bark beetles: Except when adults emerge and attack new trees, the mountain pine beetle completes its life cycle under the bark. The beetle attacks and kills lodgepole, ponderosa, sugar, and western white pines. Outbreaks frequently develop in lodgepole pine stands that...

Book review of advances in insect physiology: pine bark beetles

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

If not the most destructive forest pest, bark beetles are probably a close second in their culpability for killing millions of trees in the Northern Hemisphere. This volume provides an aptly-timed interdisciplinary review on aspects of bark beetle physiology, especially how it relates to selecting, ...

Fire and bark beetle interactions

Treesearch

Ken Gibson; Jose F. Negron

2009-01-01

Bark beetle populations are at outbreak conditions in many parts of the western United States and causing extensive tree mortality. Bark beetles interact with other disturbance agents in forest ecosystems, one of the primary being fires. In order to implement appropriate post-fire management of fire-damaged ecosystems, we need a better understanding of...

The Mediterranean pine engraver

Treesearch

Jana C. Lee; Sheri L. Smith; Steven J. Seybold

2005-01-01

In May 2004, a new exotic bark beetle for North America was discovered in baited flight traps in Fresno, California during an annual bark beetle and woodborer survey by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. This bark beetle was identified as Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston), the Mediterranean pine engraver, a well-documented pest of...

Forest health and bark beetles

Treesearch

C. J. Fettig

2012-01-01

In recent years, bark beetles have caused significant tree mortality in the Sierra Nevada, rivaling mortality caused by wildfire in some locations. This chapter addresses two important questions: How can managers prepare for and influence levels of bark beetle-caused tree mortality given current forest conditions and future climate uncertainties? and How would the...

Effect of bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) attack on bark VOC emissions of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghimire, Rajendra P.; Kivimäenpää, Minna; Blomqvist, Minna; Holopainen, Toini; Lyytikäinen-Saarenmaa, Päivi; Holopainen, Jarmo K.

2016-02-01

Climate warming driven storms are evident causes for an outbreak of the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) resulting in the serious destruction of mature Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) forests in northern Europe. Conifer species are major sources of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the boreal zone. Climate relevant BVOC emissions are expected to increase when conifer trees defend against bark beetle attack by monoterpene (MT)-rich resin flow. In this study, BVOC emission rates from the bark surface of beetle-attacked and non-attacked spruce trees were measured from two outbreak areas, Iitti and Lahti in southern Finland, and from one control site at Kuopio in central Finland. Beetle attack increased emissions of total MTs 20-fold at Iitti compared to Kuopio, but decreased the emissions of several sesquiterpenes (SQTs) at Iitti. At the Lahti site, the emission rate of α-pinene was positively correlated with mean trap catch of bark beetles. The responsive individual MTs were tricyclene, α-pinene, camphene, myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole and bornyl acetate in both of the outbreak areas. Our results suggest that bark beetle outbreaks affect local BVOC emissions from conifer forests dominated by Norway spruce. Therefore, the impacts of insect outbreaks are worth of consideration to global BVOC emission models.

Monitoring and risk assessment of the spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus

Treesearch

S. Netherer; J. Pennerstorfer; P. Baier; E. Fuhrer; A. Schopf

2003-01-01

A model describing development of the spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, combines topo-climatic aspects of the terrain with eco-physiological aspects of the bark beetle. By correlating air temperature and solar irradiation measured at a reference station, along with topographic data and microclimatic conditions of terrain plots, topo-climatic...

Bark Beetle-Fungal Symbiosis: Context Dependency in Complex Associations

Treesearch

Kier D. Klepzig; D.L. Six

2004-01-01

Recent thinking in symbiosis research has emphasized a holistic consideration of these complex interactions. Bark beetles and their associated microbes are one group which has previously not been addressed in this manner. We review the study of symbiotic interactions among bark beetles and microbes in light of this thinking. We describe the considerable progress...

Influence of predators and parisitoids on bark beetle productivity

Treesearch

Jan Weslien

1991-01-01

In an earlier field experiment, natural enemies of the bark beetle, Ips typographus (L) were estimated to have reduced bark beetle productivity by more than 80 percent. To test this hypothesis, spruce logs (Picea abies) were placed in the forest in the spring, prior to commencement of flight by I. typographus....

Influence of temperature on spring flight initiation for southwestern ponderosa pine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Treesearch

M. L. Gaylord; K. K. Williams; R. W. Hofstetter; J. D. McMillin; T. E. Degomez; M. R. Wagner

2008-01-01

Determination of temperature requirements for many economically important insects is a cornerstone of pest management. For bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), this information can facilitate timing of management strategies. Our goals were to determine temperature predictors for flight initiation of three species of Ips bark beetles...

Characterization of two non-native invasive bark beetles, Scolytus schevyrewi and Scolytus multistriatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Treesearch

Patricia L. Johnson; Jane L. Hayes; John E. Rinehart; Walter S. Sheppard

2008-01-01

Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, the banded elm bark beetle, and S. multistriatus Marsham, the smaller European elm bark beetle, are morphologically similar. Reliance on adult external morphological characters for identification can be problematic because of wide within species variability and the need for good-quality specimens....

Effectiveness of two systemic insecticides for protecting western conifers from mortality due to bark beetle attack

Treesearch

D.M. Grosman; C.J. Fettig; C.L. Jorgensen; A.S. Munson

2010-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) are important tree mortality agents in western coniferous forests. Protection of individual trees from bark beetle attack has historically involved applications of liquid formulations of contact insecticides to the tree bole using hydraulic sprayers. More recently, researchers looking for more portable and...

Semiochemical-MediatedFlight Strategies of Two Invasive Elm Bark Beetles: A Potential Factor in Competitive Displacement

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A recent seven-state survey revealed that the newly invasive banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi, was abundant in areas of Colorado and Wyoming, USA, whereas the long-established European elm bark beetle, S. multistriatus was not as abundant. Behavioral trials were conducted by hanging sm...

Deposition from ground-based sprays of carbaryl to protect individual trees from bark beetle attack in the western United States

Treesearch

C.J. Fettig; A.S. Munson; S.R. McKelvey; DeGomez T.E.

2009-01-01

Bark beetles are commonly recognized as important tree mortality agents in western coniferous forests, but relatively few species (<25) are capable of killing apparently-healthy trees. However, during the last decade extensive levels of tree mortality were attributed to bark beetle outbreaks in...

Geographic variation in prey preference in bark beetle predators

Treesearch

John D. Reeve; Brian L. Strom; Lynne K. Rieske; Bruce D. Ayers; Arnaud Costa

2009-01-01

1. Bark beetles and their predators are useful systems for addressing questions concerning diet breadth and prey preference in arthropod natural enemies. These predators use bark beetle pheromones to locate their prey, and the response todifferent pheromones is a measure of prey preference. 2. Trapping experiments were conducted to examine geographic...

A Phloem Sandwich Unit for Observing Bark Beetles, Associated Predators, and Parasites

Treesearch

Donald N. Kim; Mitchel C. Miller

1981-01-01

This paper describes a phloem sandwich that allows observation of parent beetles, their brood, and associates within the inner bark, and permits observation of predator and parasite behavior on the bark surface. The construction of the unit permits the introduction of multiple pairs of beetles into a single sandwich.

Lack of genetic differentiation in aggressive and secondary bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) from Arizona

Treesearch

Christopher J. Allender; Karen M. Clancy; Tom E. DeGomez; Joel D. McMillin; Scott A. Woolbright; Paul Keim; David M. Wagner

2008-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) play an important role as disturbance agents in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex Lawson) forests of Arizona. However, from 2001 to 2003, elevated bark beetle activity caused unprecedented levels of ponderosa pine mortality. A better understanding of the population structure of these...

Fire-injured ponderosa pine provide a pulsed resource for bark beetles

Treesearch

Ryan S. Davis; Sharon Hood; Barbara J. Bentz

2012-01-01

Bark beetles can cause substantial mortality of trees that would otherwise survive fire injuries. Resin response of fire-injured northern Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex P. Lawson & C. Lawson) and specific injuries that contribute to increased bark beetle attack susceptibility and brood production are unknown. We monitored ponderosa pine...

Invasive Bark Beetles, Forest Insect& Disease Leaflet 176

Treesearch

J.C. Lee; R.A. Haack; J.F. Negron; J.J. Witcosky; S.J. Seybold

2007-01-01

Bark beetles (Scolytidae) are among the most damaging insects in Northern Hemisphere forests, killing trees by direct feeding and by vectoring fungal pathogens. In addition to an already formidable native bark beetle complex, the number of exotic scolytids in U.S. forests has increased rapidly, with 53 known species established as of June 2007.

Visitor Preferences for Visual Changes in Bark Beetle-Impacted Forest Recreation Settings in the United States and Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnberger, Arne; Ebenberger, Martin; Schneider, Ingrid E.; Cottrell, Stuart; Schlueter, Alexander C.; von Ruschkowski, Eick; Venette, Robert C.; Snyder, Stephanie A.; Gobster, Paul H.

2018-02-01

Extensive outbreaks of tree-killing insects are increasing across forests in Europe and North America due to climate change and other factors. Yet, little recent research examines visitor response to visual changes in conifer forest recreation settings resulting from forest insect infestations, how visitors weigh trade-offs between physical and social forest environment factors, or how visitor preferences might differ by nationality. This study explored forest visitor preferences with a discrete choice experiment that photographically simulated conifer forest stands with varying levels of bark beetle outbreaks, forest and visitor management practices, and visitor use levels and compositions. On-site surveys were conducted with visitors to State Forest State Park in Colorado ( n = 200), Lake Bemidji State Park in Minnesota ( n = 228), and Harz National Park in Germany ( n = 208). Results revealed that the condition of the immediate forest surrounding was the most important variable influencing visitors' landscape preferences. Visitors preferred healthy mature forest stands and disliked forests with substantial dead wood. The number of visitors was the most important social factor influencing visitor landscape preferences. Differences in the influence of physical and social factors on visual preferences existed between study sites. Findings suggest that both visual forest conditions and visitor use management are important concerns in addressing landscape preferences for beetle-impacted forest recreation areas.

Visitor Preferences for Visual Changes in Bark Beetle-Impacted Forest Recreation Settings in the United States and Germany.

PubMed

Arnberger, Arne; Ebenberger, Martin; Schneider, Ingrid E; Cottrell, Stuart; Schlueter, Alexander C; von Ruschkowski, Eick; Venette, Robert C; Snyder, Stephanie A; Gobster, Paul H

2018-02-01

Extensive outbreaks of tree-killing insects are increasing across forests in Europe and North America due to climate change and other factors. Yet, little recent research examines visitor response to visual changes in conifer forest recreation settings resulting from forest insect infestations, how visitors weigh trade-offs between physical and social forest environment factors, or how visitor preferences might differ by nationality. This study explored forest visitor preferences with a discrete choice experiment that photographically simulated conifer forest stands with varying levels of bark beetle outbreaks, forest and visitor management practices, and visitor use levels and compositions. On-site surveys were conducted with visitors to State Forest State Park in Colorado (n = 200), Lake Bemidji State Park in Minnesota (n = 228), and Harz National Park in Germany (n = 208). Results revealed that the condition of the immediate forest surrounding was the most important variable influencing visitors' landscape preferences. Visitors preferred healthy mature forest stands and disliked forests with substantial dead wood. The number of visitors was the most important social factor influencing visitor landscape preferences. Differences in the influence of physical and social factors on visual preferences existed between study sites. Findings suggest that both visual forest conditions and visitor use management are important concerns in addressing landscape preferences for beetle-impacted forest recreation areas.

Use of acoustics to deter bark beetles from entering tree material.

PubMed

Aflitto, Nicholas C; Hofstetter, Richard W

2014-12-01

Acoustic technology is a potential tool to protect wood materials and eventually live trees from colonization by bark beetles. Bark beetles such as the southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis, western pine beetle D. brevicomis and pine engraver Ips pini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) use chemical and acoustic cues to communicate and to locate potential mates and host trees. In this study, the efficacy of sound treatments on D. frontalis, D. brevicomis and I. pini entry into tree materials was tested. Acoustic treatments significantly influenced whether beetles entered pine logs in the laboratory. Playback of artificial sounds reduced D. brevicomis entry into logs, and playback of stress call sounds reduced D. frontalis entry into logs. Sound treatments had no effect on I. pini entry into logs. The reduction in bark beetle entry into logs using particular acoustic treatments indicates that sound could be used as a viable management tool. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of symbiotic bacteria and tree chemistry on the growth and reproduction of bark beetle fungal symbionts

Treesearch

A.S. Adams; C.R. Currie; Y. Cardoza; K.D. Klepzig; K.F. Raffa

2009-01-01

Bark beetles are associated with diverse assemblages of microorganisms, many of which affect their interactions with host plants and natural enemies. We tested how bacterial associates of three bark beetles with various types of host relationships affect growth and reproduction of their symbiotic fungi. Fungi were exposed to volatiles...

Ethanol accumulation during severe drought may signal tree vulnerability to detection and attack by bark beetles

Treesearch

Rick G. Kelsey; D. Gallego; F.J. Sánchez-Garcia; J.A. Pajares

2014-01-01

Tree mortality from temperature-driven drought is occurring in forests around the world, often in conjunction with bark beetle outbreaks when carbon allocation to tree defense declines. Physiological metrics for detecting stressed trees with enhanced vulnerability prior to bark beetle attacks remain elusive. Ethanol, water, monoterpene concentrations, and composition...

Pheromone-mediated mate location and discrimination by two syntopic sibling species of Dendroctonus bark beetles in Chiapas, Mexico

Treesearch

Alicia Nino-Dominguez; Brian T. Sullivan; Jose H. Lopez-Urbina; Jorge E. Macias-Samano

2015-01-01

Where their geographic and host ranges overlap, sibling species of tree-killing bark beetles may simultaneously attack and reproduce on the same hosts. However, sustainability of these potentially mutually beneficial associations demands effective prezygotic reproductive isolation mechanisms between the interacting species. The pine bark beetle, Dendroctonus...

Co-occurrence of the invasive banded and European elm bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in North America

Treesearch

Janna C. Lee; Ingrid Aguayo; Ray Aslin; Gail Durham; Shakeeb M. Hamud; Beruce D. Moltzan; A. Steve Munson; Jose F. Negron; Travis Peterson; Iral R. Ragenovich; Jeffrey J. Witcosky; Steven J. Seybold

2009-01-01

The invasive European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham), was detected in Massachusetts a century ago, and it now occurs throughout the continental United States and southern Canada. The Asian banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, was discovered in the United States in 2003, and now occurs in 28 states...

Prescribed fire effects on bark beetle activity and tree mortality in southwestern ponderosa pine forests

Treesearch

C.R. Breece; T.E. Kolb; B.G. Dickson; J.D. McMillin; K.M. Clancey

2008-01-01

Prescribed fire is an important tool in the management of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) forests, yet effects on bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) activity and tree mortality are poorly understood in the southwestern U.S. We compared bark beetle attacks and tree mortality between paired prescribed-burned and...

Observations on the mite Schizosthetus lyriformis (Acari: Parasitidae) preying on bark beetle eggs and larve

Treesearch

Richard W. Hofstetter; J. C. Moser; R. McGuire

2009-01-01

Many species of mite that live exclusively in decaying wood and subcortical environments have intricate relationships with bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) (e.g., in the genus Dendroctonus, Ips, Scolytus) (Lindquist, 1969; Moser, 1975; Hirschmann and Wisniewski, 1983; Karg, 1993). These mites depend on bark beetles or other subcorticolous insects...

Is self-thinning in ponderosa pine ruled by Dendroctonus bark beetles?

Treesearch

William W. Oliver

1995-01-01

Stand density of even-aged stands of ponderosa pine in California seems to be ruled by Dendroctonus bark beetles, rather than the suppressioninduced mortality common for other tree species. Size-density trajectories were plotted for 155 permanent plots in both plantations and natural stands. Bark beetle kills created a limiting Stand Density Index of...

Snow distribution throughout small subalpine catchment post-insect infestation of spruce and pine beetle.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beverly, D.; Ewers, B. E.; Hyde, K.; Ohara, N.; Speckman, H. N.

2015-12-01

High elevation watersheds of the Rocky Mountains region contribute over 70% of the streamflow needed for infrastructure, agriculture, and ecological processes. Snow-water yields are heterogeneous in space and time and are driven by a multitude of snow distribution processes, including snowpack evolution driven by physical and biological factors. Quantifying heterogeneity of snowpack is further complicated by vegetation perturbations; much of the Rocky Mountains have experienced significant tree mortality due to bark beetle outbreaks. Reduction of living crown area decreases canopy interception while increasing radiation to snow surfaces, which alters snowpack distribution throughout the catchment. We hypothesize that, in a complex watershed, topographic variation (i.e., slope and aspect) will have a greater effect on snowpack evolution and distribution than densities of canopy mortality due to beetle infestation. The 120 ha No Name watershed, located in southern Wyoming at 3000 m elevation was divided into twenty-one 175 m2 parcels, in which plots were randomly assigned within each parcel. Peak snow was measured in April; in the 50 m2 plots, depths were measured every 2 m along north-south and east-west transects. Twenty-one snow pits were excavated to quantify snow densities in 10 cm increments throughout the pit profile. Forest inventories occurred the following summer. Peak snowpack levels occurred in April with mean depth of 92.3 ­­± 2.4 cm and peak SWE of 34.0 ± 0.84 cm. Binary decision trees accounted for 63% of the variability after including topographic indices, beetle condition of the trees, LAI, and basal area. Snow depth showed a slight positive relationship with increased in beetle mortality on slopes less than 11 degrees. Overall, topographic indices are greater drivers for snow distributions compared to effects of tree mortality.

Forest fuels and predicted fire behavior in the first 5 years after a bark beetle outbreak with and without timber harvest (Project INT-EM-F-11-04) [Chapter 12

Treesearch

Carolyn Sieg; Kurt Allen; Chad Hoffman; Joel McMillin

2016-01-01

Unprecedented levels of tree mortality from native bark beetle species have occurred in a variety of forest types in Western United States and Canada in recent decades in response to beetle-favorable forest and climatic conditions (Bentz 2009, Meddens and others 2012). Previous studies suggest that bark beetle outbreaks alter stand structural attributes and fuel...

A dynamical model for bark beetle outbreaks

Treesearch

Vlastimil Krivan; Mark Lewis; Barbara J. Bentz; Sharon Bewick; Suzanne M. Lenhart; Andrew Liebhold

2016-01-01

Tree-killing bark beetles are major disturbance agents affecting coniferous forest ecosystems. The role of environmental conditions on driving beetle outbreaks is becoming increasingly important as global climatic change alters environmental factors, such as drought stress, that, in turn, govern tree resistance. Furthermore, dynamics between beetles and trees...

Losses of red-cockaded woodpecker cavity trees to southern pine beetles

Treesearch

Richard N. Conner; D. Craig Rudolph

1995-01-01

Over an 1 l-year period (1983-1993), we examined the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) infestation rate of single Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) cavity trees on the Angelina National Forest in Texas. Southern pine beetles infested and killed 38 cavity trees during this period. Typically, within each cavity tree cluster, beetles infested only...

Assessment and response to bark beetle outbreaks in the Rocky Mountain area

Treesearch

Safiya Samman; Jesse Logan

2000-01-01

Bark beetles act as "agents of change" within the conifer forests of the Rocky Mountain area. They play a critical role in the development, senescence, and rebirth of Western forests. Bark beetle-caused tree mortality can be extensive, covering thousands of acres. This report is the Forest Service response to a Congressional direction in the FY2000 Interior...

Gum spots in black cherry caused by natural attacks of peach bark beetle

Treesearch

Charles O. Rexrode

1981-01-01

Peach bark beetles, Phloeotribus liminaris (Harris), made abortive attacks on healthy black cherry, Prunus serotina Ehrh., trees. The beetle attacks caused five types of gum spots in the wood and a gummy exudate on the bark. The most extensive and common types of gum spot were single and multiple rows of interray gum spots that...

Definition of spatial patterns of bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) outbreak spreading in Tatra Mountains (Central Europe), using GIS

Treesearch

Rastislav Jakus; Wojciech Grodzki; Marek Jezik; Marcin Jachym

2003-01-01

The spread of bark beetle outbreaks in the Tatra Mountains was explored by using both terrestrial and remote sensing techniques. Both approaches have proven to be useful for studying spatial patterns of bark beetle population dynamics. The terrestrial methods were applied on existing forestry databases. Vegetation change analysis (image differentiation), digital...

Chapter 12 - Bark Beetle outbreaks in Ponderosa Pine forests: Implications for fuels, fire, and management (Project INT-F-09-01)

Treesearch

Carolyn Sieg; Kurt Allen; Joel McMillin; Chad Hoffman

2014-01-01

Landscape-scale bark beetle outbreaks have occurred throughout the Western United States during recent years in response to dense forest conditions, climatic conditions, and wildfire (Fettig and others 2007, Bentz and others 2010). Previous studies, mostly conducted in moist forest types (such as lodgepole pine [Pinus contorta]) suggest that bark beetle...

US Forest Service bark beetle research in the western United States: Looking toward the future

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; Barbara J. Bentz; Christopher J. Fettig; Nancy Gillette; E. Matthew Hansen; Jane L. Hayes; Rick G. Kelsey; John E. Lundquist; Ann M. Lynch; Robert A. Progar; Steven J. Seybold

2008-01-01

Bark beetles cause extensive tree mortality in coniferous forests of western North America and play an important role in the disturbance ecology of these ecosystems. Recently, elevated populations of bark beetles have been observed in all conifer forest types across the western United States. This has heightened public awareness of the issue and triggered legislation...

Southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, antennal and behavioral responses to nonhost leaf and bark volatiles

Treesearch

William Shepherd; Brian Sullivan

2013-01-01

A growing body of evidence suggests that bark beetles detect and avoid release points of volatile compounds associated with nonhost species, and thus such nonhost volatiles may have potential utility in the management of bark beetles. We used a coupled gas chromatograph-electroantennographic detector (GC-EAD) to assay the olfactory sensitivity of the southern pine...

Host acceptance and larval competition between the invasive banded and European elm bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae): Potential mechanisms for competitive displacement

Treesearch

J.C. Lee; S.J. Seybold

2009-01-01

A recent survey revealed that the newly invasive banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi, was much more abundant than the long-established European elm bark beetle, S. multistriatus, in areas of Colorado and Wyoming, USA. This study was initiated to determine whether competitive displacement of S. multistriatus...

National Trade can Drive Range Expansion of Bark- and Wood-Boring Beetles

Treesearch

Davide Rassati; Robert A Haack; Miloš Knížek; Massimo Faccoli

2017-01-01

Several native species of bark- and wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera) have expanded their range within their native biogeographic regions in the last years, but the role of human activity in driving this phenomenon has been underinvestigated. Here we analyze 3 yr of trapping records of native bark- and wood-boring beetles (Cerambycidae and Scolytinae) collected at 12...

Bark beetle conditions in western forests and formation of the Western Bark Beetle Research Group

Treesearch

Robert J. Cain; Jane L. Hayes

2009-01-01

The recent dramatic impacts of bark beetle outbreaks across conifer forests of the West have been mapped and reported by entomology and pathology professionals with Forest Health Protection (FHP), a component of USDA Forest Service's State and Private Forestry, and their state counterparts. These forest conditions set the stage for the formation of the Western...

Managing bark beetle impacts on ecosystems and society: Priority questions to motivate future research

Treesearch

Jesse L. Morris; Stuart Cottrell; Chris Fettig; Winslow D. Hansen; Rosemary L. Sherriff; Vachel A. Carter; Jennifer L. Clear; Jessica Clement; R. Justin DeRose; Jeffrey A. Hicke; Philip E. Higuera; Katherine M. Mattor; Alistair W. R. Seddon; Heikki T. Sepp; John D. Stednick; Steven J. Seybold

2016-01-01

1. Recent bark beetle outbreaks in North America and Europe have impacted forested landscapes and the provisioning of critical ecosystem services. The scale and intensity of many recent outbreaks are widely believed to be unprecedented. 2. The effects of bark beetle outbreaks on ecosystems are often measured in terms of area affected, host tree mortality rates, and...

Influence of bark beetle-caused mortality on fuel loadings and crown fire hazard in southwestern ponderosa pine stands

Treesearch

Chad M. Hoffman; Joel D. McMillin; Carolyn Hull Sieg; Peter Z. Fule

2012-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) are important biotic agents of conifer mortality in forests of western North America (Furniss and Carolin 1977) and play an important role in the disturbance ecology of these ecosystems (Fettig and others 2007). Bark beetle outbreaks affect subsequent fire behavior in part by influencing the spatial...

Water quality following extensive beetle-induced tree mortality: Interplay of aromatic carbon loading, disinfection byproducts, and hydrologic drivers.

PubMed

Brouillard, Brent M; Dickenson, Eric R V; Mikkelson, Kristin M; Sharp, Jonathan O

2016-12-01

The recent bark beetle epidemic across western North America may impact water quality as a result of elevated organic carbon release and hydrologic shifts associated with extensive tree dieback. Analysis of quarterly municipal monitoring data from 2004 to 2014 with discretization of six water treatment facilities in the Rocky Mountains by extent of beetle impact revealed a significant increasing trend in total organic carbon (TOC) and total trihalomethane (TTHM) production within high (≳50% areal infestation) beetle-impacted watersheds while no or insignificant trends were found in watersheds with lower impact levels. Alarmingly, the TTHM concentration trend in the high impact sites exceeded regulatory maximum contaminant levels during the most recent two years of analysis (2013-14). To evaluate seasonal differences, explore the interplay of water quality and hydrologic processes, and eliminate variability associated with municipal reporting, these treatment facilities were targeted for more detailed surface water sampling and characterization. Surface water samples collected from high impact watersheds exhibited significantly higher TOC, aromatic signatures, and disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation potential than watersheds with lower infestation levels. Spectroscopic analyses of surface water samples indicated that these heightened DBP precursor levels are a function of both elevated TOC loading and increased aromatic character. This association was heightened during precipitation and runoff events in high impact sites, supporting the hypothesis that altered hydrologic flow paths resulting from tree mortality mobilize organic carbon and elevate DBP formation potential for several months after runoff ceases. The historical trends found here likely underestimate the full extent of TTHM shifts due to monitoring biases with the extended seasonal release of DBP precursors increasing the potential for human exposure. Collectively, our analysis suggests that while water quality impacts continue to rise nearly one decade after infestation, significant increases in TOC mobilization and DBP precursors are limited to watersheds that experience extensive tree mortality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Southern Pine Bark Beetle Guild

Treesearch

T. Evan Nebeker

2011-01-01

Dendroctonus frontalis (southern pine beetle), D. terebrans (black turpentine beetle), Ips avulsus (small southern pine engraver or four-spined engraver), I. grandicollis (five-spined engraver), and I. calligraphus (six-spined engraver) comprise the southern pine bark beetle guild. Often they are found sharing the same hosts in the Southeastern United States. They...

Mountain Pine Beetle Host Selection Between Lodgepole and Ponderosa Pines in the Southern Rocky Mountains.

PubMed

West, Daniel R; Briggs, Jennifer S; Jacobi, William R; Negrón, José F

2016-02-01

Recent evidence of range expansion and host transition by mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) has suggested that MPB may not primarily breed in their natal host, but will switch hosts to an alternate tree species. As MPB populations expanded in lodgepole pine forests in the southern Rocky Mountains, we investigated the potential for movement into adjacent ponderosa pine forests. We conducted field and laboratory experiments to evaluate four aspects of MPB population dynamics and host selection behavior in the two hosts: emergence timing, sex ratios, host choice, and reproductive success. We found that peak MPB emergence from both hosts occurred simultaneously between late July and early August, and the sex ratio of emerging beetles did not differ between hosts. In two direct tests of MPB host selection, we identified a strong preference by MPB for ponderosa versus lodgepole pine. At field sites, we captured naturally emerging beetles from both natal hosts in choice arenas containing logs of both species. In the laboratory, we offered sections of bark and phloem from both species to individual insects in bioassays. In both tests, insects infested ponderosa over lodgepole pine at a ratio of almost 2:1, regardless of natal host species. Reproductive success (offspring/female) was similar in colonized logs of both hosts. Overall, our findings suggest that MPB may exhibit equally high rates of infestation and fecundity in an alternate host under favorable conditions. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Mistletoe infestation mediates alteration of the phytohormone profile and anti-oxidative metabolism in bark and wood of its host Pinus sylvestris.

PubMed

Hu, Bin; Sakakibara, Hitoshi; Takebayashi, Yumiko; Peters, Franziska S; Schumacher, Jörg; Eiblmeier, Monika; Arab, Leila; Kreuzwieser, Jürgen; Polle, Andrea; Rennenberg, Heinz

2017-05-01

European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) has largely infested Central European forests and causes high mortality probability particularly in dry years. However, little information is available about the consequences of mistletoe infestation for metabolic processes in bark and wood of its host, despite their important roles in infestation defense. We analyzed the tissue hydration, carbohydrate composition, phytohormone profile, reactive oxygen species and anti-oxidant levels in bark and wood of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.), as dependent on mistletoe infestation. As a consequence of mistletoe infestation, host bark and wood showed impaired hydration and reduced total carbon content. In the bark, soluble sugar and lignin contents increased, apparently at the expense of holo-cellulose. Hydrogen peroxide accumulation was accompanied by increased glutathione and decreased reduced ascorbic acid levels. Mistletoe infestation mediated alteration of the phytohormone profile in bark and wood of its host. Cytokinins, jasmonic acid and abscisic acid levels increased in both tissues, whereas salicylic acid and indole-3-acetic acid, which were only detected in the bark, declined. The present results show that mistletoe infestation affects both the host's anti-oxidative defense system and the phytohormone profile after establishment of the xylem tapping haustorium. The significance of these processes for the development of the woody mistletoe stem and the haustorium is discussed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Landsat time series and lidar as predictors of live and dead basal area across five bark beetle-affected forests

Treesearch

Benjamin C. Bright; Andrew T. Hudak; Robert E. Kennedy; Arjan J. H. Meddens

2014-01-01

Bark beetle-caused tree mortality affects important forest ecosystem processes. Remote sensing methodologies that quantify live and dead basal area (BA) in bark beetle-affected forests can provide valuable information to forest managers and researchers. We compared the utility of light detection and ranging (lidar) and the Landsat-based detection of trends in...

The flight periodicity, attack patterns, and life history of Dryocoetes confusus Swaine (Coleoptera: Curculionida: Scolytinae), the western balsam bark beetle, in north central Colorado

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; John B. Popp

2009-01-01

Dryocoetes confusus Swaine, the western balsam bark beetle, is an important bark beetle associated with Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. (subalpine fir) in western North America. Little information is available on the life cycle and ecology of this insect in Colorado. In this study in north central Colorado, we examined its...

Proceedings of the symposium on management of western bark beetles with pheromones: research and development; June 22-25, 1992; Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Treesearch

Patrick J. Shea

1994-01-01

Despite the fact that some semiochemicals are being used in various bark beetle management scenarios in western North America there is considerable need for additional research. Various semiochemical-based bark beetle management tactics such as spot baiting, trap-out, concentration and containment, anti aggregation, and use of competing species are all under rigorous...

Progress in understanding bark beetle effects on fire behavior using physics-based models

Treesearch

Chad M. Hoffman; Carolyn H. Sieg; Penelope Morgan; William Ruddy Mell; Rodman Linn; Camille Stevens-Rumann; Joel McMillin; Russell Parsons; Helen Maffei

2013-01-01

Bark beetle outbreaks are a major disturbance of forests throughout western North America affecting ecological processes and social and economic values (Amman 1977, Bond and Keeley 2005). Since the 1990s, bark beetle outbreaks have affected between 1.1 and 13.5 million acres in the western United States and an additional 13.5 million acres in British Columbia (Meddens...

Evaluation of funnel traps for characterizing the bark beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) communities in ponderosa pine forests of North-Central Arizona

Treesearch

Christopher J. Hayes; Tom E. DeGomez; Karen M. Clancy; Kelly K. Williams; Joel D. McMillin; John A. Anhold

2008-01-01

Lindgren funnel traps baited with aggregation pheromones are widely used to monitor and manage populations of economically important bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). This study was designed to advance our understanding of how funnel trap catches assess bark beetle communities and relative abundance of individual species. In the second year (2005) of a 3-yr study...

Semiochemical-mediated flight strategies of two invasive elm bark beetles: A potential factor in competitive displacement

Treesearch

Jana C. Lee; Shakeeb M. Hamud; Jose F. Negron; Jeffrey J. Witcosky; Steven J. Seybold

2010-01-01

A seven-state survey showed that the recently detected invasive Asian banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, was abundant in areas of Colorado and Wyoming, whereas the long-established European elm bark beetle, S. multistriatus (Marsham), was not as abundant. In one of a series of studies to evaluate whether S. schevyrewi is competitively displacing S....

Host Acceptance and Larval Competition between the Invasive Banded and European Elm Bark Beetles, Scolytus schevyrewi and S. multistriatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae): Potential Mechanisms for Competitive Displacement

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A recent survey revealed that the newly invasive banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi, was much more abundant than the long-established European elm bark beetle, S. multistriatus, in areas of Colorado and Wyoming, USA. This study sought to determine whether competitive displacement of S. mul...

Tree mortality after synchronized forest insect outbreaks: effects of tree species, bole diameter, and cutting history

Treesearch

Tracey N. Johnson; Steven W. Buskirk; Gregory D. Hayward; Martin G. Raphael

2014-01-01

A recent series of bark beetle outbreaks in the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. is the largest and most intense ever recorded. Factors contributing to tree mortality from bark beetles are complex, but include aspects of forest stand condition. Because stand conditions respond to forest management, evaluating bark beetle-caused tree mortality and changes in forest...

Advances in insecticide tools and tactics for protecting conifers from bark beetle attack in the western United States

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Donald M. Grosman; A. Steven. Munson

2013-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) cause extensive tree mortality in coniferous forests of the western U.S., and play an important role in the disturbance ecology of these systems. Recently, significant outbreaks of several bark beetle species have occurred from Alaska to New Mexico heightening public awareness of the issue and, in many cases, the...

New Insights into the Consequences of Post-Windthrow Salvage Logging Revealed by Functional Structure of Saproxylic Beetles Assemblages

PubMed Central

Thorn, Simon; Bässler, Claus; Gottschalk, Thomas; Hothorn, Torsten; Bussler, Heinz; Raffa, Kenneth; Müller, Jörg

2014-01-01

Windstorms, bark beetle outbreaks and fires are important natural disturbances in coniferous forests worldwide. Wind-thrown trees promote biodiversity and restoration within production forests, but also cause large economic losses due to bark beetle infestation and accelerated fungal decomposition. Such damaged trees are often removed by salvage logging, which leads to decreased biodiversity and thus increasingly evokes discussions between economists and ecologists about appropriate strategies. To reveal the reasons behind species loss after salvage logging, we used a functional approach based on four habitat-related ecological traits and focused on saproxylic beetles. We predicted that salvage logging would decrease functional diversity (measured as effect sizes of mean pairwise distances using null models) as well as mean values of beetle body size, wood diameter niche and canopy cover niche, but would increase decay stage niche. As expected, salvage logging caused a decrease in species richness, but led to an increase in functional diversity by altering the species composition from habitat-filtered assemblages toward random assemblages. Even though salvage logging removes tree trunks, the most negative effects were found for small and heliophilous species and for species specialized on wood of small diameter. Our results suggested that salvage logging disrupts the natural assembly process on windthrown trees and that negative ecological impacts are caused more by microclimate alteration of the dead-wood objects than by loss of resource amount. These insights underline the power of functional approaches to detect ecosystem responses to anthropogenic disturbance and form a basis for management decisions in conservation. To mitigate negative effects on saproxylic beetle diversity after windthrows, we recommend preserving single windthrown trees or at least their tops with exposed branches during salvage logging. Such an extension of the green-tree retention approach to windthrown trees will preserve natural succession and associated communities of disturbed spruce forests. PMID:25050914

New insights into the consequences of post-windthrow salvage logging revealed by functional structure of saproxylic beetles assemblages.

PubMed

Thorn, Simon; Bässler, Claus; Gottschalk, Thomas; Hothorn, Torsten; Bussler, Heinz; Raffa, Kenneth; Müller, Jörg

2014-01-01

Windstorms, bark beetle outbreaks and fires are important natural disturbances in coniferous forests worldwide. Wind-thrown trees promote biodiversity and restoration within production forests, but also cause large economic losses due to bark beetle infestation and accelerated fungal decomposition. Such damaged trees are often removed by salvage logging, which leads to decreased biodiversity and thus increasingly evokes discussions between economists and ecologists about appropriate strategies. To reveal the reasons behind species loss after salvage logging, we used a functional approach based on four habitat-related ecological traits and focused on saproxylic beetles. We predicted that salvage logging would decrease functional diversity (measured as effect sizes of mean pairwise distances using null models) as well as mean values of beetle body size, wood diameter niche and canopy cover niche, but would increase decay stage niche. As expected, salvage logging caused a decrease in species richness, but led to an increase in functional diversity by altering the species composition from habitat-filtered assemblages toward random assemblages. Even though salvage logging removes tree trunks, the most negative effects were found for small and heliophilous species and for species specialized on wood of small diameter. Our results suggested that salvage logging disrupts the natural assembly process on windthrown trees and that negative ecological impacts are caused more by microclimate alteration of the dead-wood objects than by loss of resource amount. These insights underline the power of functional approaches to detect ecosystem responses to anthropogenic disturbance and form a basis for management decisions in conservation. To mitigate negative effects on saproxylic beetle diversity after windthrows, we recommend preserving single windthrown trees or at least their tops with exposed branches during salvage logging. Such an extension of the green-tree retention approach to windthrown trees will preserve natural succession and associated communities of disturbed spruce forests.

Effect of verbenone on attraction of predatory and woodboring beetles (Coleoptera) to kairomones in Lodgepole pine forests

Treesearch

B. Staffan Lindgren; Daniel R. Miller

2002-01-01

The response of bark beetle predators and woodboring beetles to the bark beetle anti-aggregation pheromone, verbenone, was tested in the field with multiple-funnel traps baited with attractant kairomones. Catches of the predators Thanasimus undatulus (Say), Enoclerus sphegeus (F.), Enocleris lecontei (Wolcott) (...

Quantifying sources of variation in the frequency of fungi associated with spruce beetles: implications for hypothesis testing and sampling methodology in bark beetle-symbiont relationships.

Treesearch

Brian H. Aukema; Richard A. Werner; Kirsten E. Haberkern; Barbara L. Illman; Murray K. Clayton; Kenneth F. Raffa

2005-01-01

The spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby), causes landscape level mortality to mature spruce (Picea spp.) throughout western and northern North America. As with other bark beetles, this beetle is associated with a variety of fungi, whose ecological functions are largely unknown. It has been proposed that the relative...

The banded elm bark beetle: A new threat to elms in North America

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; Jeffrey J. Witcosky; Robert J. Cain; James R. LaBonte; Donald A. Duerr; Sally J. McElwey; Jana C. Lee; Steven J. Seybold

2005-01-01

An exotic bark beetle from Asia, the banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi, has been discovered in 21 states of the United States. Although its point of entry is not known, a survey of museum specimens suggests that it has been in the US for at least 10 years. It is most abundant in western states, attacks primarily American and Siberian elms, and carries spores...

Mountain pine beetle infestations in relation to lodgepole pine diameters

Treesearch

Walter E. Cole; Gene D. Amman

1969-01-01

Tree losses resulting from infestation by the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) were measured in two stands of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) where the beetle population had previously been epidemic. Measurement data showed that larger diameter trees were infested and killed first. Tree losses...

Carbon isotopic composition of forest soil respiration in the decade following bark beetle and stem girdling disturbances in the Rocky Mountains: Carbon isotopes of soil respiration following disturbance

DOE PAGES

Maurer, Gregory E.; Chan, Allison M.; Trahan, Nicole A.; ...

2016-04-26

Bark beetle outbreaks are widespread in western North American forests, reducing primary productivity and transpiration, leading to forest mortality across large areas and altering ecosystem carbon cycling. Here the carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of soil respiration (δJ) was monitored in the decade after disturbance for forests affected naturally by mountain pine beetle infestation and artificially by stem girdling. The seasonal mean δJ changed along both chronosequences. We found (a) enrichment of δJ relative to controls (<1 ‰) in near-surface soils in the first 2 years after disturbance; (b) depletion (1‰ or no change) during years 3–7; and (c) a secondmore » period of enrichment (1–2‰) in years 8–10. Results were consistent with isotopic patterns associated with the gradual death and decomposition of rhizosphere organisms, fine roots, conifer needles and woody roots and debris over the course of a decade after mortality. Finally, δJ was progressively more 13C-depleted deeper in the soil than near the surface, while the bulk soil followed the well-established pattern of 13C-enrichment at depth. Overall, differences in δJ between mortality classes (<1‰) and soil depths (<3‰) were smaller than variability within a class or depth over a season (up to 6‰).« less

Jeffrey Pine Beetle

Treesearch

Richard H. Smith

1971-01-01

The Jeffrey pine beetle (Dendroctonus jeffreyi Hopk.), one of the bark beetles that kill trees by mining between the bark and the wood, is the principal insect enemy of Jeffrey pine. The beetle is of economic importance chiefly in California, where most of the Jeffrey pine grows, and is most destructive in old-growth stands in the timber-producing areas of northeastern...

Mismatch between herbivore behavior and demographics contributes to scale-dependence of host susceptibility in two pine species

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ylioja, T.; Slone, D.H.; Ayres, M.P.

2005-01-01

The impacts on forests of tree-killing bark beetles can depend on the species composition of potential host trees. Host susceptibility might be an intrinsic property of tree species, or it might depend on spatial patterning of alternative host species. We compared the susceptibility of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and Virginia pine (P. virginiana) to southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) at two hierarchical levels of geographic scale: within beetle infestations in heterospecific stands (extent ranging from 0.28 to 0.65 ha), and across a forest landscape (extent 72,500 ha) that was dominated by monospecific stands. In the former, beetles preferentially attacked Virginia pine (tree mortality = 65-100% in Virginia pine versus 0-66% in loblolly pine), but in the latter, loblolly stands were more susceptible than Virginia stands. This hierarchical transition in host susceptibility was predicted from knowledge of (1) a behavioral preference of beetles for attacking loblolly versus Virginia pine, (2) a negative correlation between preference and performance, and (3) a mismatch in the domain of scale between demographics and host selection by individuals. There is value for forest management in understanding the processes that can produce hierarchical transitions in ecological patterns. Copyright ?? 2005 by the Society of American Foresters.

Bugs and burns: effects of fire on ponderosa pine bark beetle (Project INT-F-07-02)

Treesearch

Thomas DeGomez; Thomas Kolb; Sabrina Kleinman; Kelly Williams

2013-01-01

Fire-damaged trees that otherwise would have survived can be killed by bark beetles (McCullough and others 1998, McHugh and others 2003). Wallin and others (2008) found that fire weakens a tree’s defense against bark beetles. An unacceptable level of tree mortality may occur after a controlled burn as a result of weakened tree defenses (Sullivan and others 2003)....

Bark beetles and dwarf mistletoe interact to alter downed woody material, canopy structure, and stand characteristics in northern Colorado ponderosa pine

Treesearch

Jennifer G. Klutsch; Russell D. Beam; William R. Jacobi; Jose F. Negron

2014-01-01

Due to the recent outbreaks of bark beetles in western U.S.A., research has focused on the effects of tree mortality on forest conditions, such as fuel complexes and stand structure. However, most studies have addressed outbreak populations of bark beetles only and there is a lack of information on the effect of multiple endemic, low level populations of biotic...

Log bioassay of residual effectiveness of insecticides against bark beetles

Treesearch

Richard H. Smith

1982-01-01

Residual effectiveness of nine insecticides applied to bark was tested against western, mountain, and Jeffrey pine beetles. Ponderosa and Jeffrey pine trees were treated and logs cut from them 2 to 13 months later, and bioassayed with the three beetles. The insecticides were sprayed at the rate of 1 gal (3.8 l) per 40- or 80-ft² (3.6 or 7.2 m²) bark surface at varying...

Association genetics of oleoresin flow in loblolly pine: discovering genes and predicting phenotype for improved resistance to bark beetles and bioenergy potential

Treesearch

Jared W. Westbrook; Marcio F. R. Resende Jr.; Patricio Munoz; Alejandro R. Walker; Jill L. Wegrzyn; C. Dana Nelson; David B. Neale; Matias Kirst; Salvador A. Gezan; Gary F. Peter; John M. Davis

2013-01-01

In the last decade, outbreaks of bark beetles in coniferous forests of North America have caused unprecedented tree mortality and economic losses (Nowak et al., 2008; van Mantgem et al., 2009; Waring et al., 2009), converting forests that were previously atmospheric carbon sinks into carbon sources (Kurz et al., 2008). Native species of bark beetle rapidly kill healthy...

Mountain pine beetle

Treesearch

Ken Gibson; Sandy Kegley; Barbara Bentz

2009-01-01

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) is a member of a group of insects known as bark beetles. Its entire life cycle is spent beneath the bark of host trees, except when adults emerge from brood trees and fly in search of new host trees.

Ecological Health and Water Quality Assessments in Big Creek Lake, AL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Childs, L. M.; Frey, J. W.; Jones, J. B.; Maki, A. E.; Brozen, M. W.; Malik, S.; Allain, M.; Mitchell, B.; Batina, M.; Brooks, A. O.

2008-12-01

Big Creek Lake (aka J.B. Converse Reservoir) serves as the water supply for the majority of residents in Mobile County, Alabama. The area surrounding the reservoir serves as a gopher tortoise mitigation bank and is protected from further development, however, impacts from previous disasters and construction have greatly impacted the Big Creek Lake area. The Escatawpa Watershed drains into the lake, and of the seven drainage streams, three have received a 303 (d) (impaired water bodies) designation in the past. In the adjacent ecosystem, the forest is experiencing major stress from drought and pine bark beetle infestations. Various agencies are using control methods such as pesticide treatment to eradicate the beetles. There are many concerns about these control methods and the run-off into the ecosystem. In addition to pesticide control methods, the Highway 98 construction projects cross the north area of the lake. The community has expressed concern about both direct and indirect impacts of these construction projects on the lake. This project addresses concerns about water quality, increasing drought in the Southeastern U.S., forest health as it relates to vegetation stress, and state and federal needs for improved assessment methods supported by remotely sensed data to determine coastal forest susceptibility to pine bark beetles. Landsat TM, ASTER, MODIS, and EO-1/ALI imagery was employed in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), as well as to detect concentration of suspended solids, chlorophyll and water turbidity. This study utilizes NASA Earth Observation Systems to determine how environmental conditions and human activity relate to pine tree stress and the onset of pine beetle invasion, as well as relate current water quality data to community concerns and gain a better understanding of human impacts upon water resources.

Mountain pine beetle attack in ponderosa pine: Comparing methods for rating susceptibility

Treesearch

David C. Chojnacky; Barbara J. Bentz; Jesse A. Logan

2000-01-01

Two empirical methods for rating susceptibility of mountain pine beetle attack in ponderosa pine were evaluated. The methods were compared to stand data modeled to objectively rate each sampled stand for susceptibly to bark-beetle attack. Data on bark-beetle attacks, from a survey of 45 sites throughout the Colorado Plateau, were modeled using logistic regression to...

Retail firewood can transport live tree pests.

PubMed

Jacobi, W R; Hardin, J G; Goodrich, B A; Cleaver, C M

2012-10-01

Untreated firewood can harbor destructive insects and pathogens and transport them to uninfested areas. In a national survey of retail locations selling firewood in 18 states, over half (52%) of the firewood was from sources out of the purchase state and 50% showed evidence of insect infestation. In a three state survey of southern Rocky Mountain retailers, the most common retailer types carrying firewood were grocery stores and department or big box stores followed by gas stations or convenience stores. In 2007-2009, we purchased 419 firewood bundles from retailers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming and caged the firewood to quantify insect emergence. Live insects emerged from 47% of firewood bundles over 18 mo of rearing time. Approximately 11 insects emerged on average from each infested bundle (1-520 per bundle). Pine, fir, and mixed-conifer bundles yielded the greatest number of insects. Beetles (Coleoptera) were prominent and made up the majority of individuals (3-60 individuals in each of 24 families). Most Coleoptera were bark and ambrosia beetles (subfamily Scolytinae) while wood borers (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Siricidae) occurred in lower numbers. Firewood with evidence of previous or current insect infestation was more likely to have insects emerge than firewood without such evidence. The risk of moving live native or nonindigenous insects in untreated firewood is high because insects emerged up to 558 d from purchase date. Retail firewood should be heat treated in a manner to eliminate insects that is uniformly accepted across North America.

Revealing the gut bacteriome of Dendroctonus bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae): diversity, core members and co-evolutionary patterns.

PubMed

Hernández-García, Juan Alfredo; Briones-Roblero, Carlos Iván; Rivera-Orduña, Flor N; Zúñiga, Gerardo

2017-10-24

Dendroctonus bark beetles comprise 20 taxonomically recognized species, which are one of the most destructive pine forest pests in North and Central America, and Eurasia. The aims of this study were to characterize the gut bacterial diversity, to determine the core bacteriome and to explore the ecological association between these bacteria and bark beetles. A total of five bacterial phyla were identified in the gut of 13 Dendroctonus species; Proteobacteria was the most abundant, followed by Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria and Deinococcus-Thermus. The α-diversity was low as demonstrated in previous studies and significant differences in β-diversity were observed. The core bacteriome was composed of Enterobacter, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Rahnella, Raoultella, and Serratia. The tanglegram between bacteria and bark beetles suggests that members of bacterial community are acquired from the environment, possibly from the host tree. These findings improve the knowledge about the bacterial community composition, and provide the bases to study the metabolic functions of these bacteria, as well as their interaction with these bark beetles.

Bark beetle-caused mortality in a drought-affected ponderosa pine landscape in Arizona, USA

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; Joel D. McMillin; John A. Anhold; Dave Coulson

2009-01-01

Extensive ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) mortality associated with a widespread severe drought and increased bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) populations occurred in Arizona from 2001 to 2004. A complex of Ips beetles including: the Arizona fivespined ips, Ips lecontei Swaine...

Electrophysiological and olfactometer responses of two histerid predators to three pine bark beetle pheromones

Treesearch

William P. Shepherd; Brian T. Sullivan; Richard A. Goyer; Kier D. Klepzig

2005-01-01

We measured electrophysiological responses in the antennae of two predaceous hister beetles, Platysoma parallelum and Plegaderus transversus, exposes to racemic mixtures of primary aggregation pheromones of scolytid bark beetle prey, ipsenol, ipsdienol, and frontalin. No significant differences were found for either histerid...

Field test of lindane against overwintering broods of the western pine beetle

Treesearch

Robert L. Lyon; Kenneth M. Swain

1968-01-01

The insecticide lindane, applied on bark any time of the year, can effectively destroy broods of the western pine beetle. It may also be effective the year round on the mountain pine beetle, the California five-spined ips, and probably other California species of bark beetles. In tests on the Sierra National Forest, lindane sprays formulated at 1.5 percent...

A phloem sandwich allowing attack and colonization by bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and associates

Treesearch

Andrew D. Taylor; Jane L. Hayes; John C. Moser

1992-01-01

Much of the life cycles of bark beetles and their associates are spent under the bark of the host tree and are impossible to observe under completely natural conditions. To observe the behavior and development of insects in the phloem layer, phloem sandwiches have been developed, in which a piece of bark and phloem is removed from a live tree and pressed against a...

Potential for biological control of native North American Dendroctonus beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Treesearch

M.C. Miller; John C. Moser; M. McGregor; J.C. Gregoire; M. Baisier; D.L. Dahlsten; R.A. Werner

1987-01-01

Bark beetles of the genus Dendroctonus inflict serious damage in North American coniferous forests. Biological control, which has never been seriously attempted with bark beetles in the United States, should be reconsidered in light of results disclosed here. Impact of indigenous associates is discussed, as well as previous, unsuccessful attempts to...

Effects of bark beetle-caused tree mortality on wildfire

Treesearch

Jeffrey A Hicke; Morris C. Johnson; Jane L. Hayes; Haiganoush K. Preisler

2012-01-01

Millions of trees killed by bark beetles in western North America have raised concerns about subsequent wildfire, but studies have reported a range of conclusions, often seemingly contradictory, about effects on fuels and wildfire. In this study, we reviewed and synthesized the published literature on modifications to fuels and fire characteristics following beetle-...

Response of smaller European elm bark beetles to pruning wounds on American elm

Treesearch

Jack H. Barger; William N. Cannon

1987-01-01

From 1982 to 1984, inflight smaller European elm bark beetles, Scolytus multistriatus, were captured on American elms, Ulmus americana, that were therapeutically pruned for Dutch elm disease control. Pruning wounds were treated with wound dressing or left untreated to determine effects of the treatments on beetle attraction....

A small-bolt method for screening tree protectants against bark beetles (coleoptera: curculionidae)

Treesearch

B.L. Strom; L.M. Roton

2009-01-01

A simple, small-bolt method was developed and refi ned for evaluating and screening treatments being considered as prophylactics against bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Using this method, 4 insecticide products (3 active ingredients) were evaluated against the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, intermittently during a period...

Modeling bark beetles and fuels on landscapes: A demonstration of ArcFuels and a discussion of possible model enhancements

Treesearch

Andrew J. McMahan; Alan A. Ager; Helen Maffei; Jane L. Hayes; Eric L. Smith

2008-01-01

The Westwide Pine Beetle Model and the Fire and Fuels Extension were used to simulate a mountain pine beetle outbreak under different fuel treatment scenarios on a 173,000 acre landscape on the Deschutes National Forest. The goal was to use these models within ArcFuels to analyze the interacting impacts of bark beetles and management activities on landscape fuel...

Forest Ecosystem respiration estimated from eddy covariance and chamber measurements under high turbulence and substantial tree mortality from bark beetles

USGS Publications Warehouse

Speckman, Heather N.; Frank, John M.; Bradford, John B.; Miles, Brianna L.; Massman, William J.; Parton, William J.; Ryan, Michael G.

2015-01-01

Eddy covariance nighttime fluxes are uncertain due to potential measurement biases. Many studies report eddy covariance nighttime flux lower than flux from extrapolated chamber measurements, despite corrections for low turbulence. We compared eddy covariance and chamber estimates of ecosystem respiration at the GLEES Ameriflux site over seven growing seasons under high turbulence (summer night mean friction velocity (u*) = 0.7 m s−1), during which bark beetles killed or infested 85% of the aboveground respiring biomass. Chamber-based estimates of ecosystem respiration during the growth season, developed from foliage, wood and soil CO2 efflux measurements, declined 35% after 85% of the forest basal area had been killed or impaired by bark beetles (from 7.1 ±0.22 μmol m−2 s−1 in 2005 to 4.6 ±0.16 μmol m−2 s−1 in 2011). Soil efflux remained at ~3.3 μmol m−2 s−1 throughout the mortality, while the loss of live wood and foliage and their respiration drove the decline of the chamber estimate. Eddy covariance estimates of fluxes at night remained constant over the same period, ~3.0 μmol m−2 s−1 for both 2005 (intact forest) and 2011 (85% basal area killed or impaired). Eddy covariance fluxes were lower than chamber estimates of ecosystem respiration (60% lower in 2005, and 32% in 2011), but the mean night estimates from the two techniques were correlated within a year (r2 from 0.18-0.60). The difference between the two techniques was not the result of inadequate turbulence, because the results were robust to a u* filter of > 0.7 m s−1. The decline in the average seasonal difference between the two techniques was strongly correlated with overstory leaf area (r2=0.92). The discrepancy between methods of respiration estimation should be resolved to have confidence in ecosystem carbon flux estimates.

Pheromone Chemistry of the Smaller European Elm Bark Beetle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Keith

1978-01-01

Discusses the aggregation pheromone of the smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham), with emphasis on information that could be used in the classroom as a practical application of organic chemistry. (Author/GA)

Trap deployments in black walnut tree canopies help inform monitoring strategies for bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thousand cankers disease is caused by plant pathogenic Geosmithia morbida Kolarík, Freeland, Utley, and Tisserat; a fungus vectored primarily by the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis (Blackman). The role of other bark and ambrosia beetle species in persistence and spread of this disease r...

The role of multimodal signals in species recognition between tree-killing bark beetles in a narrow sympatric zone.

Treesearch

Deepa S. Pureswaran; Richard W. Hofstetter; Brian Sullivan; Kristen A. Potter

2016-01-01

When related species coexist, selection pressure should favor evolution of species recognition mechanisms to prevent interspecific pairing and wasteful reproductive encounters. We investigated the potential role of pheromone and acoustic signals in species recognition between two species of tree-killing bark beetles, the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis...

Transportation of phytopathogenic fungi by the bark beetle Ips sexdentatus boerner and associated mites

Treesearch

J. Levieux; F. Lieutier; John C. Moser; Thelma J. Perry

1989-01-01

The bark beetle Ips sexdentatrds carries several types of conidiospores and ascopores in the pronotal punctures located around the setae on the sides of the pronotum. For swarming beetles, some of the spores seem to be germinating. Nine species of mites were phoretic on swarming Ips sexdentutus in France. Hypophoretic...

Holocene records of Dendroctonus bark beetles in high elevation pine forests of Idaho and Montana, USA

Treesearch

Andrea Brunelle; Gerald E. Rehfeldt; Barbara Bentz; A. Steven Munson

2008-01-01

Paleoecological reconstructions from two lakes in the U.S. northern Rocky Mountain region of Idaho and Montana revealed the presence of bark beetle elytra and head capsules (cf. Dendroctonus spp., most likely D. ponderosae, mountain pine beetle). Occurrence of these macrofossils during the period of time associated with the 1920/...

Antennal transcriptome analysis of the chemosensory gene families in the tree killing bark beetles, Ips typographus and Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The European spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, and the North American mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), are severe pests of coniferous forests. Both bark beetle species utilize aggregation pheromones to coordinate mass-attacks on host trees, while odorants from host and non-host trees modulate the pheromone response. Thus, the bark beetle olfactory sense is of utmost importance for fitness. However, information on the genes underlying olfactory detection has been lacking in bark beetles and is limited in Coleoptera. We assembled antennal transcriptomes from next-generation sequencing of I. typographus and D. ponderosae to identify members of the major chemosensory multi-gene families. Results Gene ontology (GO) annotation indicated that the relative abundance of transcripts associated with specific GO terms was highly similar in the two species. Transcripts with terms related to olfactory function were found in both species. Focusing on the chemosensory gene families, we identified 15 putative odorant binding proteins (OBP), 6 chemosensory proteins (CSP), 3 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMP), 43 odorant receptors (OR), 6 gustatory receptors (GR), and 7 ionotropic receptors (IR) in I. typographus; and 31 putative OBPs, 11 CSPs, 3 SNMPs, 49 ORs, 2 GRs, and 15 IRs in D. ponderosae. Predicted protein sequences were compared with counterparts in the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, the cerambycid beetle, Megacyllene caryae, and the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The most notable result was found among the ORs, for which large bark beetle-specific expansions were found. However, some clades contained receptors from all four beetle species, indicating a degree of conservation among some coleopteran OR lineages. Putative GRs for carbon dioxide and orthologues for the conserved antennal IRs were included in the identified receptor sets. Conclusions The protein families important for chemoreception have now been identified in three coleopteran species (four species for the ORs). Thus, this study allows for improved evolutionary analyses of coleopteran olfaction. Identification of these proteins in two of the most destructive forest pests, sharing many semiochemicals, is especially important as they might represent novel targets for population control. PMID:23517120

Walnut Twig Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Colonization of Eastern Black Walnut Nursery Trees

PubMed Central

Klingeman, William E.; Mayfield, Albert; Myers, Scott; Taylor, Adam

2017-01-01

Thousand cankers disease, caused by the invasive bark beetle Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman and an associated fungal pathogen Geosmithia morbida M.Kolařík, E. Freeland, C. Utley, N. Tisserat, currently threatens the health of eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) in North America. Both the beetle and pathogen have expanded beyond their native range via transport of infested walnut wood. Geosmithia morbida can develop in seedlings following inoculation, but the ability of P. juglandis to colonize young, small diameter trees has not been investigated. This study assessed the beetle’s colonization behavior on J. nigra nursery trees. Beetles were caged directly onto the stems of walnut seedlings from five nursery sources representing a range of basal stem diameter classes. Seedlings were also exposed to P. juglandis in a limited choice, field-based experiment comparing pheromone-baited and unbaited stems. When beetles were caged directly onto stems, they probed and attempted to colonize seedlings across the range of diameters and across sources tested, including stems as small as 0.5 cm in diameter. In the field experiment, beetles only attempted to colonize seedlings that were baited with a pheromone lure and appeared to prefer (though not statistically significant) the larger diameter trees. Despite several successful penetrations into the phloem, there was no evidence of successful progeny development within the young trees in either experiment. Further investigation is recommended to better elucidate the risk nursery stock poses as a pathway for thousand cankers disease causal organisms. PMID:28973569

Bark- and wood-borer colonization of logs and lumber after heat treatment to ISPM 15 specifications: the role of residual bark

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack; Toby R. Petrice

2009-01-01

Wood packaging material (WPM) is a major pathway for international movement of bark- and wood-infesting insects. ISPM 15, the first international standard for treating WPM, was adopted in 2002 and first implemented in the United States in 2006. ISPM 15 allows bark to remain on WPM after treatment, raising concerns that insects could infest after treatment, especially...

Efficacy of fipronil for protecting individual pines from mortality attributed to attack by western pine beetle and mountain pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Treesearch

C.J. Fettig; A.S. Munson; C.I. Jorgenson; D.M. and Grosman

2010-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: C~rculionidae, Scolytinae) are commonly recognized as important tree mortality agents in coniferous forests of the western U.S. Most species feed on the phloem and cambium, or xylem tissue of woody plants; and a few are recognized as the most destructive of all forest insect pests. The last decade has seen elevated levels of bark beetle caused...

Bark beetles and fungal associates colonizing white spruce in the Great Lakes region.

Treesearch

Kirsten E. Haberkern; Barbara L. Illman; Kenneth F. Raffa

2002-01-01

We examined the major bark beetles and associated fungi colonizing subcortical tissues of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) in the Great Lakes region. Trees were felled at one northwestern Wisconsin site in a preliminary study in 1997 and at 10 sites throughout northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan in 1998. Fungal isolations were made from beetles...

Evaluating methods to detect bark beetle-caused tree mortality using single-date and multi-date Landsat imagery

Treesearch

Arjan J. H. Meddens; Jeffrey A. Hicke; Lee A. Vierling; Andrew T. Hudak

2013-01-01

Bark beetles cause significant tree mortality in coniferous forests across North America. Mapping beetle-caused tree mortality is therefore important for gauging impacts to forest ecosystems and assessing trends. Remote sensing offers the potential for accurate, repeatable estimates of tree mortality in outbreak areas. With the advancement of multi-temporal disturbance...

Exotic scolytids of the Great Lakes region

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack

2001-01-01

There are at least 44 exotic species of Scolytidae established in North America north of Mexico, of which 16 species can be found in the Great Lakes region (see Table). Scolytids occupy many niches, but the two most common groups are the true bark beetles and the ambrosia beetles (Poland and Haack 1998). Adult bark beetles, as their name implies, construct galleries...

Colonization of artificially stressed black walnut trees by ambrosia beetle, bark beetle, and other weevil species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Indiana and Missouri

Treesearch

Sharon E. Reed; Jennifer Juzwik; James T. English; Matthew D. Ginzel

2015-01-01

Thousand cankers disease (TCD) is a new disease of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) in the eastern United States. The disease is caused by the interaction of the aggressive bark beetle Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman and the canker-forming fungus, Geosmithia morbida M. Kolarik, E. Freeland, C. Utley &...

Alternative timing of carbaryl treatments for protecting lodgepole pine from mortality attributed to mountain pine beetle

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; A.Steve Munson; Kenneth E. Gibson

2015-01-01

Carbaryl is regarded among the most effective, economically viable, and ecologically-compatible insecticides available for protecting conifers from bark beetle attack in the western United States. Treatments are typically applied in spring prior to initiation of bark beetle flight for that year. We evaluated the efficacy of spring and fall applications for protecting...

The Role of the Beetle Hypocryphalus mangiferae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Mango Wilt.

PubMed

Galdino, Tarcísio Visintin da Silva; Ferreira, Dalton de Oliveira; Santana Júnior, Paulo Antônio; Arcanjo, Lucas de Paulo; Queiroz, Elenir Aparecida; Sarmento, Renato Almeida; Picanço, Marcelo Coutinho

2017-06-01

The knowledge of the spatiotemporal dynamics of pathogens and their vectors is an important step in determining the pathogen dispersion pattern and the role of vectors in disease dynamics. However, in the case of mango wilt little is known about its spatiotemporal dynamics and the relationship of its vector [the beetle Hypocryphalus mangiferae (Stebbing 1914)] to these dynamics. The aim of this work was to determine the spatial-seasonal dynamic of H. mangiferae attacks and mango wilt in mango orchards and to verify the importance of H. mangiferae in the spatiotemporal dynamics of the disease. Two mango orchards were monitored during a period of 3 yr. The plants in these orchards were georeferenced and inspected monthly to quantify the number of plants attacked by beetles and the fungus. In these orchards, the percentage of mango trees attacked by beetles was always higher than the percentage infected by the fungus. The colonization of mango trees by beetles and the fungus occurred by colonization of trees both distant and proximal to previously attacked trees. The new plants attacked by the fungus emerged in places where the beetles had previously begun their attack. This phenomenon led to a large overlap in sites of beetle and fungal occurrence, indicating that establishment by the beetle was followed by establishment by the fungus. This information can be used by farmers to predict disease infection, and to control bark beetle infestation in mango orchards. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Interspecific olfactory communication in the southern pine bark beetle guild

Treesearch

T. L. Payne; M. T. Smith; M. C. Birch; A. Ascoli

1991-01-01

The southern pine bark beetle guild consists of many species, the most economically significant of which are the five scolytid species, Dendructonus frontalis Zimmermann, D. terebrans (Olivier), Ips calligraphus (Germar), I. avulses (Eichhoff), and I. grandicollis (Eichhoff...

Carbon Impacts of Fire- and Bark Beetle-Caused Tree Mortality across the Western US using the Community Land Model (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meddens, A. J.; Hicke, J. A.; Edburg, S. L.; Lawrence, D. M.

2013-12-01

Wildfires and bark beetle outbreaks cause major forest disturbances in the western US, affecting ecosystem productivity and thereby impacting forest carbon cycling and future climate. Despite the large spatial extent of tree mortality, quantifying carbon flux dynamics following fires and bark beetles over larger areas is challenging because of forest heterogeneity, varying disturbance severities, and field observation limitations. The objective of our study is to estimate these dynamics across the western US using the Community Land Model (version CLM4.5-BGC). CLM4.5-BGC is a land ecosystem model that mechanistically represents the exchanges of energy, water, carbon, and nitrogen with the atmosphere. The most recent iteration of the model has been expanded to include vertically resolved soil biogeochemistry and includes improved nitrogen cycle representations including nitrification and denitrification and biological fixation as well as improved canopy processes including photosynthesis. Prior to conducting simulations, we modified CLM4.5-BGC to include the effects of bark beetle-caused tree mortality on carbon and nitrogen stocks and fluxes. Once modified, we conducted paired simulations (with and without) fire- and bark beetle-caused tree mortality by using regional data sets of observed mortality as inputs. Bark beetle-caused tree mortality was prescribed from a data set derived from US Forest Service aerial surveys from 1997 to 2010. Annual tree mortality area was produced from observed tree mortality caused by bark beetles and was adjusted for underestimation. Fires were prescribed using the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) database from 1984 to 2010. Annual tree mortality area was produced from forest cover maps and inclusion of moderate- and high-severity burned areas. Simulations show that maximum yearly reduction of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) caused by bark beetles is approximately 20 Tg C for the western US. Fires cause similar reductions in NEP, although the temporal pattern is different. The reductions in NEP from these major disturbances are similar to the variation in NEP caused by climatic conditions. When less favorable climatic conditions and these disturbances are co-occurring, forests switch from a carbon sink to a carbon source across the western US. This work increases understanding of the role of natural disturbances in the forest carbon budget of the western US.

Evaluation of the antiaggregation pheromone, 3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH), to protect live spruce from spruce beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) infestation in sourthern Utah.

Treesearch

Darrell W. Ross; Gary E. Daterman; A. Steven Munson

2004-01-01

The spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby), produces the antiaggregation pheromone 3-methylcyclohex-2-en- 1-one (MCH) (Rudinsky et al. 1974). MCH has reduced the numbers of spruce beetles attracted to infested logs and synthetic semiochemical lures or reduced colonization rates throughout the beetles range (Kline

Limited response of ponderosa pine bole defenses to wounding and fungi.

PubMed

Gaylord, Monica L; Hofstetter, Richard W; Kolb, Thomas E; Wagner, Michael R

2011-04-01

Tree defense against bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and their associated fungi generally comprises some combination of constitutive (primary) and induced (secondary) defenses. In pines, the primary constitutive defense against bark beetles consists of preformed resin stored in resin ducts. Induced defenses at the wound site (point of beetle entry) in pines may consist of an increase in resin flow and necrotic lesion formation. The quantity and quality of both induced and constitutive defenses can vary by species and season. The inducible defense response in ponderosa pine is not well understood. Our study examined the inducible defense response in ponderosa pine using traumatic mechanical wounding, and wounding with and without fungal inoculations with two different bark beetle-associated fungi (Ophiostoma minus and Grosmannia clavigera). Resin flow did not significantly increase in response to any treatment. In addition, necrotic lesion formation on the bole after fungal inoculation was minimal. Stand thinning, which has been shown to increase water availability, had no, or inconsistent, effects on inducible tree defense. Our results suggest that ponderosa pine bole defense against bark beetles and their associated fungi is primarily constitutive and not induced.

Detection and Characterization of Stress Symptoms in Forest Vegetation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heller, R. C.

1971-01-01

Techniques used at the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station to detect advanced and previsual symptoms of vegetative stress are discussed. Stresses caused by bark beetles in coniferous stands of timber are emphasized because beetles induce stress more rapidly than most other destructive agents. Bark beetles are also the most damaging forest insects in the United States. In the work on stress symptoms, there are two primary objectives: (1) to learn the best combination of films, scales, and filters to detect and locate injured trees from aircraft and spacecraft, and (2) to learn if stressed trees can be detected before visual symptoms of decline occur. Equipment and techniques used in a study of the epidemic of the Black Hills bark beetle are described.

Spatial variability in tree regeneration after wildfire delays and dampens future bark beetle outbreaks

PubMed Central

Donato, Daniel C.; Raffa, Kenneth F.; Turner, Monica G.

2016-01-01

Climate change is altering the frequency and severity of forest disturbances such as wildfires and bark beetle outbreaks, thereby increasing the potential for sequential disturbances to interact. Interactions can amplify or dampen disturbances, yet the direction and magnitude of future disturbance interactions are difficult to anticipate because underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We tested how variability in postfire forest development affects future susceptibility to bark beetle outbreaks, focusing on mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae) in forests regenerating from the large high-severity fires that affected Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in 1988. We combined extensive field data on postfire tree regeneration with a well-tested simulation model to assess susceptibility to bark beetle outbreaks over 130 y of stand development. Despite originating from the same fire event, among-stand variation in forest structure was very high and remained considerable for over a century. Thus, simulated emergence of stands susceptible to bark beetles was not temporally synchronized but was protracted by several decades, compared with stand development from spatially homogeneous regeneration. Furthermore, because of fire-mediated variability in forest structure, the habitat connectivity required to support broad-scale outbreaks and amplifying cross-scale feedbacks did not develop until well into the second century after the initial burn. We conclude that variability in tree regeneration after disturbance can dampen and delay future disturbance by breaking spatiotemporal synchrony on the landscape. This highlights the importance of fostering landscape variability in the context of ecosystem management given changing disturbance regimes. PMID:27821739

Spatial variability in tree regeneration after wildfire delays and dampens future bark beetle outbreaks.

PubMed

Seidl, Rupert; Donato, Daniel C; Raffa, Kenneth F; Turner, Monica G

2016-11-15

Climate change is altering the frequency and severity of forest disturbances such as wildfires and bark beetle outbreaks, thereby increasing the potential for sequential disturbances to interact. Interactions can amplify or dampen disturbances, yet the direction and magnitude of future disturbance interactions are difficult to anticipate because underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We tested how variability in postfire forest development affects future susceptibility to bark beetle outbreaks, focusing on mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae) in forests regenerating from the large high-severity fires that affected Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in 1988. We combined extensive field data on postfire tree regeneration with a well-tested simulation model to assess susceptibility to bark beetle outbreaks over 130 y of stand development. Despite originating from the same fire event, among-stand variation in forest structure was very high and remained considerable for over a century. Thus, simulated emergence of stands susceptible to bark beetles was not temporally synchronized but was protracted by several decades, compared with stand development from spatially homogeneous regeneration. Furthermore, because of fire-mediated variability in forest structure, the habitat connectivity required to support broad-scale outbreaks and amplifying cross-scale feedbacks did not develop until well into the second century after the initial burn. We conclude that variability in tree regeneration after disturbance can dampen and delay future disturbance by breaking spatiotemporal synchrony on the landscape. This highlights the importance of fostering landscape variability in the context of ecosystem management given changing disturbance regimes.

New Introduction: The Red-haired Bark Beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda Fabricius (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), NA-PR-03-02

Treesearch

US Forest service, Northeastern Area, State & Private Forestry

2002-01-01

Discovery: An overwintering colony of adult Red-haired Bark Beetles (Hylurgus ligniperda Fabricius) was discovered in November 2000 near Rochester, New York. These European beetles were found during an evaluation of white pine root decline in a Christmas tree plantation. Hylurgus ligniperda was intercepted 169 times at ports of entry in the United States between 1985...

An observational and modeling study of impacts of bark beetle-caused tree mortality on surface energy and hydrological cycles

Treesearch

Fei Chen; Guo Zhang; Michael Barlage; Ying Zhang; Jeffrey A. Hicke; Arjan Meddens; Guangsheng Zhou; William J. Massman; John Frank

2015-01-01

Bark beetle outbreaks have killed billions of trees and affected millions of hectares of forest during recent decades. The objective of this study was to quantify responses of surface energy and hydrologic fluxes 2-3 yr following a spruce beetle outbreak using measurements and modeling. The authors used observations at the Rocky Mountains Glacier Lakes Ecosystem...

Effectiveness of Cedar Oil Products for Preventing Host Use by Ips avulsus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in a Modified Small-Bolt Assay

Treesearch

B. L. Strom; L. M. Roton

2011-01-01

Insecticide products based on cedar oil are readily available, but evaluations against pine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are lacking. In the southeastern U.S., the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm, is the major bark beetle pest for which tree protectants are applied. However, Ips avulsus (Eichhoff) are more consistently...

Efficacy of abamectin and tebuconazole injections to protect of lodgepole pine from mortality attributed to mountain pine beetle attack and progression of blue stain fungi

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Donald M. Grosman; A. Steven. Munson

2013-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) are important tree mortality agents in western coniferous forests. Protection of individual trees from bark beetle attack has historically involved applications of liquid formulations of contact insecticides to the tree bole using hydraulic sprayers. More recently, researchers have examined the effectiveness of...

Predicting live and dead tree basal area of bark beetle affected forests from discrete-return lidar

Treesearch

Benjamin C. Bright; Andrew T. Hudak; Robert McGaughey; Hans-Erik Andersen; Jose Negron

2013-01-01

Bark beetle outbreaks have killed large numbers of trees across North America in recent years. Lidar remote sensing can be used to effectively estimate forest biomass, but prediction of both live and dead standing biomass in beetle-affected forests using lidar alone has not been demonstrated. We developed Random Forest (RF) models predicting total, live, dead, and...

Relative and seasonal abundance of Temnochila chlorodia (Mannerheim) (Coleoptera: Trogossitidae) collected in western pine beetle pheromone-baited traps in northern California

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Christopher P. Dabney

2006-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) are commonly recognized as the most important mortality agent in western coniferous forests. In this study, we describe the abundance of bark beetle predators collected in multiple-funnel traps baited with exo-brevicomin, frontalin and myrcene in northern California during 2003 and 2004. A total of 32,903 Temnochila chlorodia (...

Leptographium tereforme, sp. nov. and other Ophiostomatales isolated from the redhaired pine bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda, in California

Treesearch

S. Kim; T.C. Harrington; J. C. Lee; S. J. Seybold

2011-01-01

The redhaired pine bark beetle Hylurgus ligniperda (F.) is native to Europe but was discovered in Los Angeles, California, in 2003. This root- and stump-feeding beetle is a common vector of Ophiostomatales, which are potential tree pathogens or causes of blue stain of conifer sapwood. In this study Ophiostomatales were isolated on a...

Fuel and fire behavior in high-elevation five-needle pines affected by mountain pine beetle

Treesearch

Michael J. Jenkins

2011-01-01

Bark beetle-caused tree mortality in conifer forests affects the quantity and quality of forest fuels and has long been assumed to increase fire hazard and potential fire behavior. In reality, bark beetles and their effects on fuel accumulation and subsequent fire hazard have only recently been described. We have extensively sampled fuels in three conifer forest types...

Description of Histiostoma Conjuncta (New Comb.) (Acari: Anoetidae), An Associate of Central American Bark Beetles

Treesearch

J. P. Woodring; John C. Moser

1975-01-01

The adult female and male plus the tritonymph of Histiostoma conjuncta (Woodring and Moser, 1970) (new comb.) and described. The species is known to be associated with various pine bark beetles from Honduras, Guatemala, and Louisiana.

Phoretic mites of three bark beetles (Pityokteines spp.) on silver fir

Treesearch

Milan Pernek; Boris Hrasovec; Dinka Matosevic; Ivan Pilas; Thomas Kirisits; John C. Moser

2008-01-01

The species composition and abundance of phoretic mites of the bark beetles Pityokteines curvidens P. spinidens, and P. vorontzowi on Silver fir (Abies alba) were investigated in 2003 at two locations (Trakoscan and Litoric) in Croatia. Stem sections and...

Cold tolerance of four species of bark beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in North America

Treesearch

Maria Lombardero; Matthew P. Ayres; Bruce D. Ayres; John D. Reeve

2000-01-01

We investigated the overwintering biology of four temperate-latitude bark beetles: Dendroctonus frontalis Zinmermann, Ips pini (Say), I. grandicollis (Eichhoff) and I. perroti Swaine. All four species were freeze-susceptible. However, there was variation within and among species in...

Fuel and stand characteristics in p. pine infested with mountain pine beetle, Ips beetle, and southwestern dwarf mistletoe in Colorado's Northern Front Range

Treesearch

Jennifer G. Klutsch; Russell D. Beam; William R. Jacobi; Jose F. Negron

2008-01-01

In the ponderosa pine forests of the northern Front Range of Colorado, downed woody debris amounts, fuel arrangement, and stand characteristics were assessed in areas infested with southwestern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. cryptopodum), mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and

Three Different Methods of Estimating LAI in a Small Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speckman, H. N.; Ewers, B. E.; Beverly, D.

2015-12-01

Leaf area index (LAI) is a critical input of models that improve predictive understanding of ecology, hydrology, and climate change. Multiple techniques exist to quantify LAI, most of which are labor intensive, and all often fail to converge on similar estimates. . Recent large-scale bark beetle induced mortality greatly altered LAI, which is now dominated by younger and more metabolically active trees compared to the pre-beetle forest. Tree mortality increases error in optical LAI estimates due to the lack of differentiation between live and dead branches in dense canopy. Our study aims to quantify LAI using three different LAI methods, and then to compare the techniques to each other and topographic drivers to develop an effective predictive model of LAI. This study focuses on quantifying LAI within a small (~120 ha) beetle infested watershed in Wyoming's Snowy Range Mountains. The first technique estimated LAI using in-situ hemispherical canopy photographs that were then analyzed with Hemisfer software. The second LAI estimation technique was use of the Kaufmann 1982 allometrerics from forest inventories conducted throughout the watershed, accounting for stand basal area, species composition, and the extent of bark beetle driven mortality. The final technique used airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) first DMS returns, which were used to estimating canopy heights and crown area. LIDAR final returns provided topographical information and were then ground-truthed during forest inventories. Once data was collected, a fractural analysis was conducted comparing the three methods. Species composition was driven by slope position and elevation Ultimately the three different techniques provided very different estimations of LAI, but each had their advantage: estimates from hemisphere photos were well correlated with SWE and snow depth measurements, forest inventories provided insight into stand health and composition, and LIDAR were able to quickly and efficiently cover a very large area.

Black Turpentine Beetle Infestations After Thinning in a Loblolly Pine Plantation

Treesearch

D.P. Feduccia; W.F. Mann

1975-01-01

Black turpentine beetle infestations can be reduced substantially by minimizing injuries to residual trees during logging and avoiding harvesting on waterlogged soils to prevent excessive root damage. After thinning, losses can be minimized by spraying visibly injured trees with lindane immediatly, checking susceptible stands frequently for infestations, and applyling...

Hylurgus ligniperda (Scolytidae): a new exotic bark beetle in New York State

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack; Toby R. Petrice; E. Richard Hoebeke; Therese M. Poland

2003-01-01

An established population of the red-haired pine bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda (F.) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), was found in the United States in November 2000 near Rochester, NY (Hoebeke 2001). During surveys in 2001, H. ligniperda was detected in three counties in New York.

Avoidance of nonhost plants by a bark beetle, Pityogenes bidentatus, in a forest of odors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byers, John A.; Zhang, Qing-He; Birgersson, Göran

The bark beetle, Pityogenes bidentatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), searches in mixed conifer and deciduous forests of northern Europe for suitable branches of its host, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). We tested whether odors from several diverse nonhost trees and plants common in the habitat (e.g., mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia; oak, Quercus robur; alder buckthorn, Frangula alnus; blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus; raspberry, Rubus idaeus; and grass, Deschampsia flexuosa) would reduce the attraction of the bark beetle to traps releasing its aggregation pheromone components in the field. Volatiles from the leaves or bark of each of these plants significantly reduced the attraction of the beetles to their pheromone. Odors collected from these nonhosts and analyzed by GC/MS contained monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and ``green-leaf'' alcohols, several of which (e.g., 1-octene-3-ol and β-caryophyllene) reduced the attraction to pheromone in the field and elicited electroantennographic responses. In the laboratory, reproduction by the beetle was marginal in nonhost Norway spruce, Picea abies, and was absent in the other nonhost trees. Olfactory avoidance of unsuitable nonhosts may have evolved due to advantages in avoiding mistakes during host selection.

Old lower stem bark lesions apparently caused by unsuccessful spruce beetle attacks still evident on live spruce trees years later

Treesearch

John S. Hard; Ken P. Zogas

2010-01-01

We examined old bark lesions on Lutz spruce in young stands on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, to determine their cause. Distribution of these lesions along lower stems was similar to the distribution of spruce beetle attacks during epidemics. These lesions apparently resulted from unsuccessful attacks by spruce beetles during the late 1980s and early 1990s and appear to...

Length of multiple-funnel traps affects catches of smoke bark and wood boring beetles in a slash pine stand in Northern Florida

Treesearch

Daniel R. Miller; Christopher M. Crowe

2010-01-01

The multiple-funnel trap has gained broad acceptance for catching bark and ambrosia beetles since the trap was developed more than 25 years ago (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) (Lindgren 1983). The trap consists of black plastic funnels aligned vertically over each other, allowing for intercepted beetles to fall through the funnels into a wet or dry collection cup located on...

Distinguishing Bark Beetle-infested Vegetation by Tree Species Types and Stress Levels using Landsat Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivanpillai, R.; Ewers, B. E.; Speckman, H. N.; Miller, S. N.

2015-12-01

In the Western United States, more than 3 million hectares of lodgepole pine forests have been impacted by the Mountain pine beetle outbreak, while another 166,000 hectares of spruce-fir forests have been attacked by Spruce beetle. Following the beetle attack, the trees lose their hydraulic conductivity thus altering their carbon and water fluxes. These trees go through various stages of stress until mortality, described by color changes in their needles prior to losing them. Modeling the impact of these vegetation types require thematically precise land cover data that distinguishes lodgepole pine and spruce-fir forests along with the stage of impact since the ecosystem fluxes are different for these two systems. However, the national and regional-scale land cover datasets derived from remotely sensed data do not have this required thematic precision. We evaluated the feasibility of multispectral data collected by Landsat 8 to distinguish lodgepole pine and spruce fir, and subsequently model the different stages of attack using field data collected in Medicine Bow National Forest (Wyoming, USA). Operational Land Imager, onboard Landsat 8 has more spectral bands and higher radiometric resolution (12 bit) in comparison to sensors onboard earlier Landsat missions which could improve the ability to distinguish these vegetation types and their stress conditions. In addition to these characteristics, its repeat coverage, rigorous radiometric calibration, wide swath width, and no-cost data provide unique advantages to Landsat data for mapping large geographic areas. Initial results from this study highlight the importance of SWIR bands for distinguishing different levels of stress, and the need for ancillary data for distinguishing species types. Insights gained from this study could lead to the generation of land cover maps with higher thematic precision, and improve the ability to model various ecosystem processes as a result of these infestations.

Quantifying widespread canopy cover decline through the course of a beetle kill epidemic in Colorado with remote sensing of snow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, E. H.; Raleigh, M. S.; Molotch, N. P.

2014-12-01

Since the mid-1990s, outbreaks of aggressive bark beetle species have caused extensive forest morality across 600,000 km2 of North-American forests, killing over 17,800 km2 of forest in Colorado alone. This mortality has resulted in a widespread, spatially heterogeneous decline of forest canopies, which in turn exerts strong controls on the accumulation and melt of the snowpack. In the Western United States, where approximately 70-80% of total annual runoff originates as mountain snowmelt, it is important to monitor and quantify changes in forest canopy in snow-dominated catchments. To quantify annual values of forest canopy cover, this research develops a metric from time series of daily fractional snow covered area (FSCA) from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow covered area and grain size (MODSCAG) algorithm. In areas where soil and rock are completely snow-covered, a land pixel is composed only of forest canopy and snow. Following a snowfall event, FSCA initially rises rapidly, as snow is intercepted in the canopy, and then declines, as snow unloads from the canopy. The lower of these local minima form a threshold representative of snow-free canopy conditions, which serves as a spatially explicit metric of forest canopy. Investigation of a site in southern Colorado with over 40% spruce beetle mortality shows a statistically significant decrease of canopy cover, from 76 (±4)% pre-infestation to 55 (±8)% post-infestation (t=-5.1, p<0.01). Additionally, this yearly parameterization of forest canopy is well correlated (ρ=0.76, p<0.01) with an independent product of yearly crown mortality derived from U.S. Forest Service Aerial Detection Surveys. Future work will examine this relationship across varied ecologic settings and geographic locations, and incorporate field measurements of species-specific canopy change after beetle kill.

Geosmithia morbida found on weevil species Stenominus pallidus in Indiana

Treesearch

Jennifer Juzwik; Mark T. Banik; Sharon E. Reed; James T. English; Matthew D. Ginzel

2015-01-01

The canker pathogen Geosmithia morbida is known to be transmitted to Juglans species by the bark beetle Pityophthorus juglandis, and to lead to development of thousand cankers disease. In an Indiana-wide trap-tree survey of ambrosia and bark beetles and weevils colonizing stressed Juglans nigra...

Lindane in forestry: a continuing controversy

Treesearch

Thomas W. Koerber

1976-01-01

Use of the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide lindane to control bark beetles is controversial. Differences of opinion persist, even among knowledgeable entomologists, on whether use is justified in view of potentially harmful side effects. Effectiveness of lindane treatments, as employed in preventing tree mortality from bark beetles, is also in question. In seven...

Environmental stress and whole-tree physiology

Treesearch

Peter L. Jr. Lorio

1993-01-01

Interactions among bark beetles, pathogens, and conifers constitute a triangle. Another triangle of interactions exist among the invading organism (bark beetles and pathogens), the trees, and the environment. How important, variable or constant, simple or complex, is the role of trees in these triangles? Understanding the wide range of interactions that take place...

Laboratory assay of cacodylic acid and ®Meta-Systox-R on Scolytus multistriatus and Pseudopityophthorus sp.

Treesearch

Charles O. Rexrode; James W. Lockyer

1974-01-01

Cacodylic acid and Meta-Systox-R were applied to oak and elm bark beetle diets. Diets containing 900 to 1,000 ppm of cacodylic acid and diets containing 100 to 200 ppm of Meta-Systox-R killed both oak and elm bark beetles.

A new species of bark beetle, Dendroctonus mesoamericanus sp nov. (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in southern Mexico and Central America

Treesearch

Francisco Armendariz-Toledano; Alicia Nino; Brian T. Sullivan; Lawrence R. Kirkendall; Gerado Zunig

2015-01-01

The bark beetle Dendroctonus mesoamericanus sp. nov. is described from a population in Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello, La Trinitaria, Chiapas, Mexico. This species belongs to the D. frontalis complex, which includes D. adjunctus Blandford 1897, D. approximatus Dietz 1890, D....

Bark beetles, pityogenes bidentatus, orienting to aggregation pheromone avoid conifer monoterpene odors when flying but not when walking

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous studies have provided evidence that monoterpene odors from healthy host Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) and non-host Norway spruce (Picea abies) significantly reduce the attraction of flying bark beetles, Pityogenes bidentatus, to their aggregation pheromone components (grandisol and cis-ver...

Using pheromones in the management of bark beetle outbreaks

Treesearch

Alf Bakke

1991-01-01

Identification of aggregation pheromones and field experiments using synthetic components have given scientists a better understanding of the behavior of many bark beetles. They have also yielded more effective weapons with which to control outbreaks of aggressive pest species. Synthetic pheromone components are commercially available for control of many species (...

Bark beetle responses to vegetation management practices

Treesearch

Joel D. McMillin; Christopher J. Fettig

2009-01-01

Native tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) are a natural component of forest ecosystems. Eradication is neither possible nor desirable and periodic outbreaks will occur as long as susceptible forests and favorable climatic conditions co-exist. Recent changes in forest structure and tree composition by natural processes and management...

Are bark beetles chewing up our forests? What about our coffee?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A write-up for the Elsevier SciTech Connect blog on the recently published book entitled "Bark Beetles: Biology and Ecology of Native and Invasive Species," edited by Fernando E. Vega and Richard W. Hofstetter. The book was published by Academic Press in January 2015....

The Kenai experience: communities and forest health.

Treesearch

Valerie. Rapp

2005-01-01

Over the last 15 years, spruce bark beetles have killed huge numbers of spruce trees, the dominant conifer across south-central Alaska. From 80 to 90 percent of the trees are dead in large areas on the Kenai Peninsula. The consequences of the spruce bark beetle outbreak will continue for years.

The response of saprotrophic beetles to coast live oaks infected with Phytophthora ramorum

Treesearch

Brice A. McPherson; Nadir Ebilgin; David L. Wood; Pavel Svihra; Andrew J. Storer; Richard B. Standiford

2006-01-01

Saprotro phic ambrosia and bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) tunnel into the bark overlying cankers caused by Phytophthora ramorum in coast live oaks, Quercus agrifolia. These insects are characteristically reported to colonize freshly dead or moribund trees (Furniss and Carolin, 1977). However, the initial attacks by these...

Temperature determines symbiont abundance in a multipartite bark beetle-fungus ectosymbiosis

Treesearch

D. L. Six; B. J. Bentz

2007-01-01

In this study, we report evidence that temperature plays a key role in determining the relative abundance of two mutualistic fungi associated with an economically and ecologically important bark beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae. The symbiotic fungi possess different optimal temperature ranges. These differences determine which fungus is vectored by...

Individual-tree tests of verbenone flakes, verbenone pouches, and green-leaf volatiles to protect lodgepole pines from mountain pine beetle attack

Treesearch

Sandra Kegley; Ken Gibson; Nancy Gillette; Jeff Webster; Lee Pederson; Silvia. Mori

2010-01-01

We have long known that the bark beetle-produced pheromone, verbenone (trimethyl-bicyclo-heptenone), can limit damage to pines by scolytid bark beetles (Clarke et al. 1999, Skillen et al. 1997, Syracuse Environmental Research Associates, Inc. 2000). It has also been shown that in some cases the addition of ―green leaf volatiles‖ (GLVs) can increase the efficacy of...

Changes in Wood Processing and Use Have Influenced the Likelihood of Beetle Infestations in Seasoned Wood

Treesearch

Lonnie H. Williams

1980-01-01

Fewer houses are being built with crawl spaces and more houses have central heating and air-conditioning, so the number of anobiid beetle infestations should decline. The likelihood of lyctid infestations in domestic hardwoods has been decreased by improved processing and marketing, but increased imports of tropical hardwoods likely will increase the frequency of...

Probability of infestation and extent of mortality associated with the Douglas-fir beetle in the Colorado Front Range

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron

1998-01-01

Infested and uninfested areas within Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb.. Franco, stands affected by the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopk. were sampled in the Colorado Front Range, CO. Classification tree models were built to predict probabilities of infestation. Regression trees and linear regression analysis were used to model amount of tree...

Ponderosa pine resin defenses and growth: Metrics matter

Treesearch

Sharon Hood; Anna Sala

2015-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) cause widespread tree mortality in coniferous forests worldwide. Constitutive and induced host defenses are important factors in an individual tree’s ability to survive an attack and in bottom-up regulation of bark beetle population dynamics, yet quantifying defense levels is often difficult. For example, in...

Gut bacteria of bark and wood boring beetles

Treesearch

Archana Vasanthakumar; Yasmin Cardoza; Italo Delalibera; Patrick Schloss; Jo Handelsman; Kier Klepzig; Kenneth Raffa

2007-01-01

Bark beetles are known to have complex associations with a variety of microorganisms (Paine and others 1987; Ayres and others 2000; Six and Klepzig 2004). However, most of our knowledge involves fungi, particularly external species. In contrast, we know very little about their associations with bacterial gut symbionts (Bridges 1981). Similarly, work with wood...

Predation and bark beetle dynamics

Treesearch

John D. Reeve

1997-01-01

Bark beetle populations may undergo dramatic fluctuations and are often important pests in coniferous forests.Their dynamics are thought to be primarily driven by factors affecting the resistance of the host tree to attack, i.e., bottom-up forces, while natural enemies are usually assigned a minor role in these systems.I present behavioral experiments that suggest that...

Bark beetles as agents of change in social-ecological systems

Treesearch

Jesse L Morris; Stuart Cottrell; Christopher J Fettig; R. Justin DeRose; Katherine M Mattor; Vachel A Carter; Jennifer Clear; Jessica Clement; Winslow D Hansen; Jeffrey A Hicke; Philip E Higuera; Alistair WR Seddon; Heikki Seppä; Rosemary L Sherriff; John D Stednick; Steven J Seybold

2018-01-01

Due to recent outbreaks of native bark beetles, forest ecosystems have experienced substantial changes in landscape structure and function, which also affect nearby human populations. As a result, land managers have been tasked with sustaining ecosystem services in impacted areas by considering the best available science, public perceptions, and monitoring data to...

Tree physiology and bark beetles

Treesearch

Michael G. Ryan; Gerard Sapes; Anna Sala; Sharon Hood

2015-01-01

Irruptive bark beetles usually co-occur with their co-evolved tree hosts at very low (endemic) population densities. However, recent droughts and higher temperatures have promoted widespread tree mortality with consequences for forest carbon, fire and ecosystem services (Kurz et al., 2008; Raffa et al., 2008; Jenkins et al., 2012). In this issue of New Phytologist,...

Host-tree monoterpenes and biosynthesis of aggregation pheromones in the bark beetle ips paraconfusus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the 1970-80s, vapors of the common conifer tree monoterpenes, myrcene and a-pinene, were shown to serve as precursors of ipsenol, ipsdienol and cis-verbenol, aggregation pheromone components of Ips paraconfusus. A paradigm developed that Ips bark beetles utilize pre-formed monoterpene precursors ...

Native bark beetles and wood borers in Mediterranean forests of California

Treesearch

Christopher J.  Fettig

2016-01-01

Several species of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), and to a much lesser extent wood borers (primarily Coleoptera: Buprestidae and Cerambycidae), are capable of causing conifer mortality in Mediterranean forests of California, U.S. This mortality is an important part of the ecology of these ecosystems, but the economic and social...

Xylem Resin in the Resistance of the Pinaceae to Bark Beetles

Treesearch

Richard H. Smith

1972-01-01

Xylem resin of Pinaceae is closely linked with their resistance and suseptibility to tree-killing bark beetles. This review of the literature on attacking adults suggests that all three resistance mechanisms proposed by Painter -- preference, antibiosis, and tolerance -- are active in this relationship: preference by attraction, repellency, and synergism; antibiosis...

Forest thinning and subsequent bark beetle-caused mortality in Northeastern California

Treesearch

Joel M. Egan; William R. Jacobi; Jose F. Negron; Sheri L. Smith; Daniel R. Cluck

2010-01-01

The Warner Mountains of northeastern California on the Modoc National Forest experienced a high incidence of tree mortality (2001-2007) that was associated with drought and bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) attack. Various silvicultural thinning treatments were implemented prior to this period of tree mortality to reduce stand density and increase...

Are bark beetle outbreaks less synchronous than forest Lepidoptera outbreaks?

Treesearch

Bjorn Okland; Andrew M. Liebhold; Ottar N. Bjornstad; Nadir Erbilgin; Paal Krokene; Paal Krokene

2005-01-01

Comparisons of intraspecific spatial synchrony across multiple epidemic insect species can be useful for generating hypotheses about major determinants of population patterns at larger scales. The present study compares patterns of spatial synchrony in outbreaks of six epidemic bark beetle species in North America and Europe. Spatial synchrony among populations of the...

Effects of bark beetle pheromones on the attraction of Monochamus alternatus to pine volatiles

Treesearch

Jian-Ting Fan; Daniel Miller; Long-Wa Zhang; Jiang-Hua Sun

2010-01-01

We evaluated the attraction of Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Dryocoetes luteus Blandford and Orthotomicus erosusWollaston (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) to multiple-funnel traps baited with the pine volatiles, ethanol and (+)-α-pinene and the bark beetle pheromones, ipsenol and ipsdienol. M. alternatus were attracted to traps baited...

Management strategies for bark beetles in conifer forests

Treesearch

Christopher Fettig; Jacek  Hilszczański

2015-01-01

Several species of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) are capable of causing significant amounts of tree mortality in conifer forests throughout much of the world.  In most cases, these events are part of the ecology of conifer forests and positively influence many ecological processes, but the economic and social implications can be...

Climate drivers of bark beetle outbreak dynamics in Norway spruce forests

Treesearch

Lorenzo Marini; Bjorn Okland; Anna Maria Jonsson; Barbara Bentz; Allan Carroll; Beat Forster; Jean-Claude Gregoire; Rainer Hurling; Louis Michel Nageleisen; Sigrid Netherer; Hans Peter Ravn; Aaron Weed; Martin Schroeder

2017-01-01

Bark beetles are among the most devastating biotic agents affecting forests globally and several species are expected to be favored by climate change. Given the potential interactions of insect outbreaks with other biotic and abiotic disturbances, and the potentially strong impact of changing disturbance regimes on forest resources, investigating climatic drivers of...

Nature of resistance of pines to bark beetles

Treesearch

Robert Z. Callaham

1966-01-01

Patterns of susceptibility of pines to attack by certain species of Dendroctonus bark beetles suggest that a resistance mechanism exists. This situation was first called to my attention in 1949 by John M. Miller, entomologist at the Berkeley Forest Insect Laboratory. He was studying the resistance of pines to insects, at the Institute of Forest...

Response of bark and woodboring beetles to host volatiles and wounding on western juniper

Treesearch

Jane L. Hayes; Patricia L. Johnson; Andris Eglitis; Donald W. Scott; Lia Spiegel; Craig L. Schmitt; Steven E. Smith

2008-01-01

In central Oregon, management of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis Hook.) has included use of prescribed fire and mechanical removal. After these treatments, several species of bark and wood-boring beetles have been observed on treated trees and also occasionally on trees outside management areas, suggesting...

Analyzing Red and Gray Stages of Bark Beetle Attack in the San Bernardino National Forest Using Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Andy J.

The San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) has experienced periods of high, concentrated bark beetle epidemics in the late 1990's and into the 2000's. This increased activity has caused huge amounts of forest loss, resulting from disease introduced by bark beetles. Using remote sensing techniques and Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 (TM5) imagery, the spread of bark beetle diseased trees is mapped over a period from 1998 to 2008. Acreage of two attack stages (red and gray) were calculated from a level sliced classification method developed on data training sites. In each image using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is the driver of forest health classifications. The results of the analysis are classification maps for each year, red acreage estimated for each study year, and gray attack acreage estimated for each study year. Additionally, for the period of 2001-2004, acreage was compared to those reported by the USDA with a thirteen percent lower mortality total in comparison to USDA federal land and a thirty-two percent lower total mortality (federal and non-federal) land in the SBNF.

Tree mortality from fire and bark beetles following early and late season prescribed fires in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwilk, Dylan W.; Knapp, Eric E.; Ferrenberg, Scott; Keeley, Jon E.; Caprio, Anthony C.

2006-01-01

Over the last century, fire exclusion in the forests of the Sierra Nevada has allowed surface fuels to accumulate and has led to increased tree density. Stand composition has also been altered as shade tolerant tree species crowd out shade intolerant species. To restore forest structure and reduce the risk of large, intense fires, managers have increasingly used prescription burning. Most fires prior to EuroAmerican settlement occurred during the late summer and early fall and most prescribed burning has taken place during the latter part of this period. Poor air quality and lack of suitable burn windows during the fall, however, have resulted in a need to conduct more prescription burning earlier in the season. Previous reports have suggested that burning during the time when trees are actively growing may increase mortality rates due to fine root damage and/or bark beetle activity. This study examines the effects of fire on tree mortality and bark beetle attacks under prescription burning during early and late season. Replicated early season burn, late season burn and unburned control plots were established in an old-growth mixed conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada that had not experienced a fire in over 120 years. Although prescribed burns resulted in significant mortality of particularly the smallest tree size classes, no difference between early and late season burns was detected. Direct mortality due to fire was associated with fire intensity. Secondary mortality due to bark beetles was not significantly correlated with fire intensity. The probability of bark beetle attack on pines did not differ between early and late season burns, while the probability of bark beetle attack on firs was greater following early season burns. Overall tree mortality appeared to be primarily the result of fire intensity rather than tree phenology at the time of the burns. Early season burns are generally conducted under higher fuel moisture conditions, leading to less fuel consumption and potentially less injury to trees. This reduction in fire severity may compensate for relatively modest increases in bark beetle attack probabilities on some tree species, ultimately resulting in a forest structure that differs little between early and late season prescribed burning treatments.

Conifer Stored Resources and Resistance to a Fungus Associated with the Spruce Bark Beetle Ips typographus

PubMed Central

Lahr, Eleanor C.; Krokene, Paal

2013-01-01

Bark beetles and associated fungi are among the greatest natural threats to conifers worldwide. Conifers have potent defenses, but resistance to beetles and fungal pathogens may be reduced if tree stored resources are consumed by fungi rather than used for tree defense. Here, we assessed the relationship between tree stored resources and resistance to Ceratocystis polonica, a phytopathogenic fungus vectored by the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus. We measured phloem and sapwood nitrogen, non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), and lipids before and after trees were attacked by I. typographus (vectoring C. polonica) or artificially inoculated with C. polonica alone. Tree resistance was assessed by measuring phloem lesions and the proportion of necrotic phloem around the tree's circumference following attack or inoculation. While initial resource concentrations were unrelated to tree resistance to C. polonica, over time, phloem NSC and sapwood lipids declined in the trees inoculated with C. polonica. Greater resource declines correlated with less resistant trees (trees with larger lesions or more necrotic phloem), suggesting that resource depletion may be caused by fungal consumption rather than tree resistance. Ips typographus may then benefit indirectly from reduced tree defenses caused by fungal resource uptake. Our research on tree stored resources represents a novel way of understanding bark beetle-fungal-conifer interactions. PMID:23967298

Influence of elevation on bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) community structure and flight periodicity in ponderosa pine forests of Arizona.

PubMed

Williams, Kelly K; McMillin, Joel D; DeGomez, Tom E; Clancy, Karen M; Miller, Andy

2008-02-01

We examined abundance and flight periodicity of five Ips and six Dendroctonus species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) among three different elevation bands in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex. Lawson) forests of northcentral Arizona. Bark beetle populations were monitored at 10 sites in each of three elevation bands (low: 1,600-1,736 m; middle: 2,058-2,230 m; high: 2,505-2,651 m) for 3 yr (2004-2006) using pheromone-baited Lindgren funnel traps. Trap contents were collected weekly from March to December. We also studied temperature differences among the elevation bands and what role this may play in beetle flight behavior. Bark beetles, regardless of species, showed no consistent elevational trend in abundance among the three bands. The higher abundances of Ips lecontei Swaine, I. calligraphus ponderosae Swaine, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman, and D. brevicomis LeConte at low and middle elevations offset the greater abundance of I. knausi Swaine, D. adjunctus Blandford, D. approximatus Dietz, and D. valens LeConte at high elevations. I. pini (Say) and I. latidens LeConte were found in similar numbers across the three bands. Flight periodicity of several species varied among elevation bands. In general, the flight period shortened as elevation increased; flight initiated later and terminated earlier in the year. The timing, number, and magnitude of peaks in flight activity also varied among the elevation bands. These results suggest that abundance and flight seasonality of several bark beetles are related to elevation and the associated temperature differences. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to bark beetle management and population dynamics.

Saproxylic community, guild and species responses to varying pheromone components of a pine bark beetle.

PubMed

Etxebeste, Iñaki; Lencina, José L; Pajares, Juan

2013-10-01

Some bark beetle species (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) produce aggregation pheromones that allow coordinated attack on their conifer hosts. As a new saproxylic habitat is founded, an assemblage of associated beetles kairomonally respond to bark beetle infochemicals. Ips sexdentatus is one of the major damaging insects of Pinus spp. in Southern Europe. Its response to varying ipsenol (Ie) percentages in relation to ipsdienol (Id) was studied in northwestern Spain, along with the entire saproxylic beetle assemblage captured at multiple-funnel traps. Response profile modeling was undertaken for I. sexdentatus sexes and sex-ratios, associated species and for selected trophic groups using a reference Gaussian model. In addition, the effects on the saproxylic assemblages were analyzed. I. sexdentatus response curve peaked at 22.7% Ie content, while remaining taxa that could be modeled, peaked above ca. 40% Ie. Predator guilds showed a linear relationship with Ie proportion, while competitors showed a delayed response peak. Consequently, species assemblages differed markedly between varying pheromone component mixtures. Given that the evaluated pheromonal proportions mimicked that of logs being colonized by I. sexdentatus, results suggested that the registered differential responses at different levels might provide I. sexdentatus with a temporal window that maximizes conspecific attraction while reducing interference with competitor and predatory guilds. Described responses might help improve the monitoring of the population status of target bark beetles and their associates, but also point toward the by-catch of many natural enemies, as well as rare saproxylic beetle species, interfering with the aims of sustainable forest management.

Ecosystem Resilience and Limitations Revealed by Soil Bacterial Community Dynamics in a Bark Beetle-Impacted Forest

PubMed Central

Brouillard, Brent M.; Bokman, Chelsea M.; Sharp, Jonathan O.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Forested ecosystems throughout the world are experiencing increases in the incidence and magnitude of insect-induced tree mortality with large ecologic ramifications. Interestingly, correlations between water quality and the extent of tree mortality in Colorado montane ecosystems suggest compensatory effects from adjacent live vegetation that mute responses in less severely impacted forests. To this end, we investigated whether the composition of the soil bacterial community and associated functionality beneath beetle-killed lodgepole pine was influenced by the extent of surrounding tree mortality. The most pronounced changes were observed in the potentially active bacterial community, where alpha diversity increased in concert with surrounding tree mortality until mortality exceeded a tipping point of ~30 to 40%, after which diversity stabilized and decreased. Community structure also clustered in association with the extent of surrounding tree mortality with compositional trends best explained by differences in NH4+ concentrations and C/N ratios. C/N ratios, which were lower in soils under beetle-killed trees, further correlated with the relative abundance of putative nitrifiers and exoenzyme activity. Collectively, the response of soil microorganisms that drive heterotrophic respiration and decay supports observations of broader macroscale threshold effects on water quality in heavily infested forests and could be utilized as a predictive mechanism during analogous ecosystem disruptions. PMID:29208740

Biogeochemistry of beetle-killed forests: Explaining a weak nitrate response

PubMed Central

Rhoades, Charles C.; McCutchan, James H.; Cooper, Leigh A.; Clow, David; Detmer, Thomas M.; Briggs, Jennifer S.; Stednick, John D.; Veblen, Thomas T.; Ertz, Rachel M.; Likens, Gene E.; Lewis, William M.

2013-01-01

A current pine beetle infestation has caused extensive mortality of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in forests of Colorado and Wyoming; it is part of an unprecedented multispecies beetle outbreak extending from Mexico to Canada. In United States and European watersheds, where atmospheric deposition of inorganic N is moderate to low (<10 kg⋅ha⋅y), disturbance of forests by timber harvest or violent storms causes an increase in stream nitrate concentration that typically is close to 400% of predisturbance concentrations. In contrast, no significant increase in streamwater nitrate concentrations has occurred following extensive tree mortality caused by the mountain pine beetle in Colorado. A model of nitrate release from Colorado watersheds calibrated with field data indicates that stimulation of nitrate uptake by vegetation components unaffected by beetles accounts for significant nitrate retention in beetle-infested watersheds. The combination of low atmospheric N deposition (<10 kg⋅ha⋅y), tree mortality spread over multiple years, and high compensatory capacity associated with undisturbed residual vegetation and soils explains the ability of these beetle-infested watersheds to retain nitrate despite catastrophic mortality of the dominant canopy tree species. PMID:23319612

A Synopsis of the Taxonomic Revisions in the Genus Ceratocystis Including a Review of Blue-Staining Species Associated with Dendroctonus Bark Beetles

Treesearch

Thelma J. Perry

1991-01-01

Taxonomic revisions in both the teleomorphic (sexual) and anamorphic (asexual) forms of the genus Ceratocystis Ellis & Halstead are chronicled in this review. Recognized species associated with Dendroctonus Erichson bark beetles are summarized, and several species that have been published as recombinations, species that were...

Long-distance dispersal of non-native pine bark beetles from host resources

Treesearch

Kevin Chase; Dave Kelly; Andrew M. Liebhold; Martin K.-F. Bader; Eckehard G. Brockerhoff

2017-01-01

Dispersal and host detection are behaviours promoting the spread of invading populations in a landscape matrix. In fragmented landscapes, the spatial arrangement of habitat structure affects the dispersal success of organisms. The aim of the present study was to determine the long distance dispersal capabilities of two non-native pine bark beetles (Hylurgus...

Chemical ecology and management of bark beetles in western coniferous forests

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig

2013-01-01

The future looks bright for the development and use of semiochemical-based tools in forests, particularly in remote and sensitive areas where other management techniques (e.g., the use of insecticides) may not be appropriate. This editorial provides an concise overview of chemical ecology and management of bark beetles in western coniferous forests.

Climate change and bark beetles of the western United States and Canada: Direct and indirect effects

Treesearch

Barbara J. Bentz; Jacques Regniere; Christopher J. Fettig; E. Matthew Hansen; Jane L. Hayes; Jeffrey A. Hicke; Rick G. Kelsey; Jose F. Negron; Steven J. Seybold

2010-01-01

Climatic changes are predicted to significantly affect the frequency and severity of disturbances that shape forest ecosystems. We provide a synthesis of climate change effects on native bark beetles, important mortality agents of conifers in western North America. Because of differences in temperature-dependent life-history strategies, including cold-induced mortality...

Influence of elevation on bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) community structure and flight periodicity in ponderosa pine forests of Arizona

Treesearch

Kelly K. Williams; Joel D. McMillin; Tom E. DeGomez; Karen M. Clancy; Andy Miller

2008-01-01

We examined abundance and flight periodicity of five Ips and six Dendroctonus species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) among three different elevation bands in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex. Lawson) forests of northcentral Arizona. Bark beetle populations were monitored at 10 sites in each of three elevation...

Causes of mortality of red-cockaded woodpecker cavity trees

Treesearch

Richard N. Conner; D. Craig Rudolph; David L. Kulhavy; Ann E. Snow

1991-01-01

Over a 13-year period we examined the mortality of cavity trees (n = 453) used by red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) on national forests in eastern Texas. Bark beetles (53%), wind snap (30%), and fire (7%) were the major causes of cavity tree mortality. Bark beetles were the major cause of mortality in loblolly (Pinus taeda...

Fir Engraver (FIDL)

Treesearch

George T. Ferrell

1986-01-01

The fir engraver, Scolytus ventralis LeConte, belongs to the family of insects called bark beetles, which live between the bark and wood of host trees. A wide-ranging, native beetle, the fir engraver attacks most species of fir in the Western United States. Epidemics can cause severe tree mortality. From 1977 to 1978, for example, the fir engraver killed an estimated 1...

Community of bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) in a Florida avocado grove with laurel wilt

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A trapping study was conducted in Miami-Dade County to assess the diversity and relative abundance of bark and ambrosia beetles in an avocado grove affected by laurel wilt. In addition, four commercial traps were evaluated for efficacy of detecting these taxa. Traps included a white sticky panel, ...

Giselia arizonica, a new genus and species of mite (Acaria: Tarsonemidae) associated with bark beetles of the genus Pseudopityophthorus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in North America

Treesearch

Wojciech L. Magowski; Evert E. Lindquist; John C. Moser

2005-01-01

A new genus and species of the mite family Tarsonemidae, subfamily Tarsoneminae, is described and illustrated. Its systematic position among genera of Tarsoneminae and its host association with bark beetles of the genus Pseudopityophthorus Swaine, 1918 in North America are briefly discussed.

Cross-scale drivers of natural disturbances prone to anthropogenic amplification: Dynamics of biome-wide bark beetle eruptions

Treesearch

Kenneth F. Raffa; Brian H. Aukema; Barbara J. Bentz; Allan L. Carroll; Jeffrey A. Hicke; Monica G. Turner; William H. Romme

2008-01-01

Biome-scale disturbances by eruptive herbivores provide valuable insights into species interactions, ecosystem-function, and impacts of global change. We present a conceptual framework using one system as a model, emphasizing interactions across levels of biological hierarchy and spatiotemporal scales. Bark beetles are major natural disturbance agents in western North...

Ethanol attracts scolytid beetles to Phytophthora ramorum cankers on coast live oak [Abstract

Treesearch

Rick G. Kelsey; Maia Beh; Dave Shaw; Daniel K. Manter

2013-01-01

Successful infection of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia Née) stems by Phytophthora ramorum results in the formation of a canker visible initially at the bark surface by the release of a dark red to black colored exudate referred to as "bleeding." Bark and ambrosia beetles are often attracted to diseased trees within...

High individual variation in pheromone production by tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Treesearch

Deepa S. Pureswaran; Brian T. Sullivan; Matthew P. Ayres

2008-01-01

Aggregation via pheromone signaling is essential for tree-killing bark beetles to overcome tree defenses and reproduce within hosts. Pheromone production is a trait that is linked to fitness, so high individual variation is paradoxica1. One explanation is that the technique of measuring static pheromone pools overestimates true variation among individuals. An...

Northeastern Oregon bark beetle control project 1910-11.

Treesearch

H.E. Burke

1990-01-01

This history, from the memoirs of the entomologist in charge, describes the first large-scale cooperative bark beetle control project funded by Congress in the Western United States. It describes relations between the Forest Service, Bureau of Entomology, and private timber owners, how the project was organized and conducted, and results of the control measures. The...

Exotic bark and ambrosia beetles in the USA: potential and current invaders

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack; Robert J. Rabaglia

2013-01-01

Bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are among the most important insects affecting trees and forests worldwide. There are approximately 6000 scolytine species worldwide, with species found on all continents except Antarctica (Table 3.1) (Wood and Bright, 1992; Bright and Skidmore, 1997, 2002; Wood, 2007). The majority of species are found...

Bark beetle-induced tree mortality alters stand energy budgets due to water budget changes

Treesearch

David E. Reed; Brent E. Ewers; Elise Pendall; John Frank; Robert Kelly

2016-01-01

Insect outbreaks are major disturbances that affect a land area similar to that of forest fires across North America. The recent mountain pine bark beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak and its associated blue stain fungi (Grosmannia clavigera) are impacting water partitioning processes of forests in the Rocky Mountain region as the spatially heterogeneous...

The battle against bark beetles in Crater Lake National Park: 1925-34

Treesearch

B.E. Wickman

1987-01-01

This history records the first large-scale bark beetle control project in a national park in the Pacific Northwest. It describes the relations between Park Service, Forest Service, and USDA Bureau of Entomology personnel; how the project was organized; the ecological implications of the outbreak; and the long-term results of direct control measures.

Integrated Pest Management Research Symposium: The Proceedings

Treesearch

Susan J. Branham; Robert C. Thatcher; [Editors

1985-01-01

Thirty-seven papers are presented that summarize the findings from research and development work conducted as a part of the Integrated Pest Management RD&A Program for Bark Beetles of Southern Pines during the 5-year period 1980-85. Presentations cover the areas of sampling and impact assessment, bark beetle biology and ecology, host susceptibility, host/pest...

Do mites phoretic on elm bark beetles contribute to the transmission of Dutch elm disease?

Treesearch

John Moser; Heino Konrad; Stacy Blomquist; Thomas Kirisits

2010-01-01

Dutch elm disease (DED) is a destructive vascular wilt disease of elm (Ulmus) trees caused by the introduced Ascomycete fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. In Europe, this DED pathogen is transmitted by elm bark beetles in the genus Scolytus. These insects carry phoretic mites to new, suitable habitats. The aim of this...

Molecular markers detect cryptic predation on coffee berry borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by silvanid and laemophloeid flat bark beetles (Coleoptera: Silvanidae, Laemophloeidae) in coffee beans

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei(Coleoptera: Curculionidae)(Ferrari), is a serious pest of coffee worldwide and has been recently introduced in Hawai’i, first detected in the state in 2010. Adult silvanid flat bark beetles, Cathartus quadricollis (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) and adult laemoph...

Cellular response of loblolly pine to wound inoculation with bark beetle-associated fungi and chitosan

Treesearch

Kier D. Klepzig; Charles H. Walkinshaw

2003-01-01

We inoculated loblolly pines with bark beetle-associated fungi and a fungal cell wall component, chitosan, known to induce responses in some pines and many other plants. Trees in Florida were inoculated with Leptographium procerum, L. terebrantis, Ophiostoma minus, or chitosan. Trees in Louisiana were inoculated with O. minus,...

Emission characteristics of elm bark beetle aggregation attractants from controlled-release dispensers

Treesearch

Roy A. Cuthbert; John W. Peacock; Susan L. Wright

1983-01-01

Release rates of the aggregation attractants of the smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham), from laboratory-aged and field-aged Conrel and Hercon dispensers were monitored for 85 days by GLC analysis of cold-trapped volatiles. Both dispensers had relatively low and constant rates of decay for all three attractant...

Attraction of ambrosia and bark beetles to coast live oaks infected by Phytophthora ramorum

Treesearch

Brice A. McPherson; Nadir Erbilgin; David L. Wood; Pavel Svihra; Andrew J. Storer; Richard B. Standiford

2008-01-01

Sudden oak death, caused by Phytophthora ramorum (Werres, de Cock & Man in?t Veld), has killed thousands of oaks (Quercus spp.) in coastal California forests since the mid-1990s. Bark and ambrosia beetles that normally colonize dead or severely weakened trees selectively tunnel into the bleeding cankers that are the first...

Yeasts associated with bark beetles of the genus Dendroctonus erichson (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): Molecular identification and biochemical characterization

Treesearch

Flor N. Rivera; Zulema Gómez; Evelyn González; Nydia López; César H. Hernández Rodríguez; Gerardo Zúñiga

2007-01-01

The bark beetles (Scolytinae) increase their potential to colonize their hosts by associating symbiotically with microorganisms, particularly fungi, which are carried on specialized structures called mycangium (Harrington 1993; Klepzig 2001; Paine and others 1997;Six 2003; Whitney 1982). Additionally, there is experimental evidence that some yeasts and bacteria from...

An assessment of re-randomization methods in bark beetle (Scolytidae) trapping bioassays

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Christopher P. Dabney; Stepehen R. McKelvey; Robert R. Borys

2006-01-01

Numerous studies have explored the role of semiochemicals in the behavior of bark beetles (Scolytidae). Multiple funnel traps are often used to elucidate these behavioral responses. Sufficient sample sizes are obtained by using large numbers of traps to which treatments are randomly assigned once, or by frequent collection of trap catches and subsequent re-...

Bark beetle management after a mass attack - some Swiss experiences

Treesearch

B. Forster; F. Meier; R. Gall

2003-01-01

In 1990 and 1999, heavy storms accompanied by the worst gales ever recorded in Switzerland, struck Europe and left millions of cubic metres of windthrown Norway spruce trees; this provided breeding material for the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) and led to mass attacks in subsequent years which resulted in the additional loss...

Regional Population Dynamics

Treesearch

Andrew Birt

2011-01-01

The population dynamics of the southern pine beetle (SPB) exhibit characteristic fluctuations between relatively long endemic and shorter outbreak periods. Populations exhibit complex and hierarchical spatial structure with beetles and larvae aggregating within individual trees, infestations with multiple infested trees, and regional outbreaks that comprise a large...

Geographical and Temporal Dynamics of Chaetocnema Pulicaria and Their Role in Stewart's Disease of Corn in Iowa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Esker, Paul David

2001-01-01

This thesis investigated the biology and importance of the corn flea beetle vector and its role in the Stewart's disease of corn pathosystem. This was accomplished by determining the number of corn flea beetle generations that occur in Iowa and by quantifying the proportions of those populations found to be infested with the causal agent of Stewart's disease, pantoea stewartii. In addition, a preliminary study was conducted to determine how soil temperature was influenced by air temperature and how this may be applied to forecasting for Stewart's disease of corn. Research using yellow sticky cards and sweep netting demonstrated thatmore » there are overwintering, first, and second field generations of the corn flea beetle in Iowa. It was also observed that there was a period during June of both 1999 and 2000 when corn flea beetles were not found, which is important new management information. This research has also demonstrated that the incidence of P. stewartii-infested corn flea beetles can be monitored by ELISA testing and that the incidence fluctuates greatly throughout the corn growing season. The initial level of inoculum (P. stewartii-infested corn flea beetles in the adult overwintering generation) does not remain static during the spring as was previously hypothesized. This signals that additional research is needed concerning the mechanisms of fluctuation in the proportion of beetles infested with P. stewartii.« less

Where Have All the Beetles Gone?

Treesearch

Richard A. Goyer; Kier D. Klepzig

2002-01-01

Without a doubt, bark beetles are the most destructive insect pests of Southern pines. Among these, the Southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis, isi the most notable and most noticed. During outbreak years, this small, but very aggresive, beetle can cause catastrophic losses.

Successful Colonization of Lodgepole Pine Trees by Mountain Pine Beetle Increased Monoterpene Production and Exhausted Carbohydrate Reserves.

PubMed

Roth, Marla; Hussain, Altaf; Cale, Jonathan A; Erbilgin, Nadir

2018-02-01

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests have experienced severe mortality from mountain pine beetle (MPB) (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) in western North America for the last several years. Although the mechanisms by which beetles kill host trees are unclear, they are likely linked to pine defense monoterpenes that are synthesized from carbohydrate reserves. However, how carbohydrates and monoterpenes interact in response to MPB colonization is unknown. Understanding this relationship could help to elucidate how pines succumb to bark beetle attack. We compared concentrations of individual and total monoterpenes and carbohydrates in the phloem of healthy pine trees with those naturally colonized by MPB. Trees attacked by MPB had nearly 300% more monoterpenes and 40% less carbohydrates. Total monoterpene concentrations were most strongly associated with the concentration of sugars in the phloem. These results suggest that bark beetle colonization likely depletes carbohydrate reserves by increasing the production of carbon-rich monoterpenes, and other carbon-based secondary compounds. Bark beetle attacks also reduce water transport causing the disruption of carbon transport between tree foliage and roots, which restricts carbon assimilation. Reduction in carbohydrate reserves likely contributes to tree mortality.

Multitrophic interaction facilitates parasite-host relationship between an invasive beetle and the honey bee.

PubMed

Torto, Baldwyn; Boucias, Drion G; Arbogast, Richard T; Tumlinson, James H; Teal, Peter E A

2007-05-15

Colony defense by honey bees, Apis mellifera, is associated with stinging and mass attack, fueled by the release of alarm pheromones. Thus, alarm pheromones are critically important to survival of honey bee colonies. Here we report that in the parasitic relationship between the European honey bee and the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, the honey bee's alarm pheromones serve a negative function because they are potent attractants for the beetle. Furthermore, we discovered that the beetles from both Africa and the United States vector a strain of Kodamaea ohmeri yeast, which produces these same honey bee alarm pheromones when grown on pollen in hives. The beetle is not a pest of African honey bees because African bees have evolved effective methods to mitigate beetle infestation. However, European honey bees, faced with disease and pest management stresses different from those experienced by African bees, are unable to effectively inhibit beetle infestation. Therefore, the environment of the European honey bee colony provides optimal conditions to promote the unique bee-beetle-yeast-pollen multitrophic interaction that facilitates effective infestation of hives at the expense of the European honey bee.

Infestation of grain fields and degree-day phenology of the cereal leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Utah: long-term patterns.

PubMed

Evans, Edward W; Carlile, Nolan R; Innes, Matthew B; Pitigala, Nadishan

2014-02-01

Scouting at key times in the seasonal development of insect pest populations, as guided by degree-day accumulation, is important for minimizing unwarranted insecticide application. Fields of small grains in northern Utah were censused weekly from 2001 to 2011, to assess infestation by the cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and develop degree-day guidelines for measuring cereal leaf beetle abundance at peak egg and larval densities in any given year. Even in years of high overall numbers of cereal leaf beetle, relatively few fields were heavily infested (with 20 or more cereal leaf beetle eggs + larvae per 0.09 m2) at either egg or larval peak density during the growing season. In individual fields, the number of immature cereal leaf beetle (eggs + larvae) at peak larval density was positively related to the number of immature cereal leaf beetles present earlier at peak egg density. Although there was large variation among years in when cereal leaf beetle egg and larval numbers peaked during the season as measured by degree-day accumulation from 1 January, much of this variation was accounted for by the warmth of the early spring before significant egg laying occurred. Hence, degree-day estimates that account for early spring warmth can guide growers in scouting grain fields at peak egg densities to identify fields at high risk of subsequent economic damage from cereal leaf beetle larval feeding. The relatively low incidence of fields heavily infested by cereal leaf beetle in northern Utah emphasizes the benefit that growers can gain by scouting early before applying insecticide treatments.

Instream wood loads in montane forest streams of the Colorado Front Range, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Karen J.; Wohl, Ellen

2015-04-01

Although several studies examine instream wood loads and associated geomorphic effects in streams of subalpine forests in the U.S. Southern Rocky Mountains, little is known of instream wood loads in lower elevation, montane forests of the region. We compare instream wood loads and geomorphic effects between streams draining montane forest stands of differing age (old growth versus younger) and disturbance history (healthy versus infested by mountain pine beetles). We examined forest stand characteristics, instream wood load, channel geometry, pool volume, and sediment storage in 33 pool-riffle or plane-bed stream reaches with objectives of determining whether (i) instream wood and geomorphic effects differed significantly among old-growth, younger, healthy, and beetle-infested forest stands and (ii) wood loads correlated with valley and channel characteristics. Wood loads were standardized to drainage area, stream gradient, reach length, bankfull width, and floodplain area. Streams flowing through old-growth forests had significantly larger wood loads and logjam volumes (pairwise t-tests), as well as logjam frequencies (Kruskal-Wallis test), residual pool volume, and fine sediment storage around wood than streams flowing through younger forests. Wood loads in streams draining beetle-infested forest did not differ significantly from those in healthy forest stands, but best subset regression models indicated that elevation, stand age, and beetle infestation were the best predictors of wood loads in channels and on floodplains, suggesting that beetle infestation is affecting instream wood characteristics. Wood loads are larger than values from subalpine streams in the same region and jams are larger and more closely spaced. We interpret these differences to reflect greater wood piece mobility in subalpine zone streams. Stand age appears to exert the dominant influence on instream wood characteristics within pool-riffle streams in the study area rather than beetle infestation, although this may reflect the relatively recent nature (< 10 years) of the infestation.

Description of an establishment event by the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in a suburban landscape in the northeastern United States

PubMed Central

Pepper, Eugene; Davis, Kevin; Trotter, Robert Talbot

2017-01-01

The establishment of non-native species is commonly described as occurring in three phases: arrival, establishment, and dispersal. Both arrival and dispersal by the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky), a xylophagous Cerambycid native to China and the Korean peninsula, has been documented for multiple locations in both North America and Europe, however the transitional phase, establishment, is not well understood for this species due to the need to rapidly remove populations to prevent dispersal and assist eradication, and the evident variation in the behavior of populations. Here we describe the dynamics of an establishment event for the Asian longhorned beetle in a small, isolated population within the regulated quarantine zone near Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. These data were collected during an opportunity afforded by logistical limits on the Cooperative Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program administered by state, federal, and local government partners. Seventy-one infested red maple (Acer rubrum) trees and 456 interspersed un-infested trees were surveyed in an isolated, recently established population within a ~0.29 ha stand in a suburban wetland conservation area in which nearly 90% of the trees were host species, and nearly 80% were Acer rubrum. Tree-ring analyses show that within this establishing population, Asian longhorned beetles initially infested one or two A. rubrum, before moving through the stand to infest additional A. rubrum based not on distance or direction, but on tree size, with infestation biased towards trees with larger trunk diameters. Survey data from the larger landscape suggest this population may have generated long-distance dispersers (~1400 m), and that these dispersal events occurred before the originally infested host trees were fully exploited by the beetle. The distribution and intensity of damage documented in this population suggest dispersal here may have been spatially more rapid and diffuse than in other documented infestations. Dispersal at these larger spatial scales also implies that when beetles move beyond the closed canopy of the stand, the direction of dispersal may be linked to prevailing winds. PMID:28727772

Climate change amplifies the interactions between wind and bark beetle disturbances in forest landscapes.

PubMed

Seidl, Rupert; Rammer, Werner

2017-07-01

Growing evidence suggests that climate change could substantially alter forest disturbances. Interactions between individual disturbance agents are a major component of disturbance regimes, yet how interactions contribute to their climate sensitivity remains largely unknown. Here, our aim was to assess the climate sensitivity of disturbance interactions, focusing on wind and bark beetle disturbances. We developed a process-based model of bark beetle disturbance, integrated into the dynamic forest landscape model iLand (already including a detailed model of wind disturbance). We evaluated the integrated model against observations from three wind events and a subsequent bark beetle outbreak, affecting 530.2 ha (3.8 %) of a mountain forest landscape in Austria between 2007 and 2014. Subsequently, we conducted a factorial experiment determining the effect of changes in climate variables on the area disturbed by wind and bark beetles separately and in combination. iLand was well able to reproduce observations with regard to area, temporal sequence, and spatial pattern of disturbance. The observed disturbance dynamics was strongly driven by interactions, with 64.3 % of the area disturbed attributed to interaction effects. A +4 °C warming increased the disturbed area by +264.7 % and the area-weighted mean patch size by +1794.3 %. Interactions were found to have a ten times higher sensitivity to temperature changes than main effects, considerably amplifying the climate sensitivity of the disturbance regime. Disturbance interactions are a key component of the forest disturbance regime. Neglecting interaction effects can lead to a substantial underestimation of the climate change sensitivity of disturbance regimes.

Response of mountain Picea abies forests to stand-replacing bark beetle outbreaks: Neighbourhood effects lead to self-replacement

Treesearch

Thorsten Zeppenfeld; Miroslav Svoboda; R. Justin DeRose; Marco Heurich; Jorg Muller; Pavla Cizkova; Martin Stary; Radek Bace; Daniel C. Donato

2015-01-01

Large, severe disturbances drive many forest ecosystems over the long term, but pose management uncertainties when human experience with them is limited. Recent continent-scale outbreaks of bark beetles across the temperate Northern Hemisphere have raised major concerns as to whether coniferous forests will regenerate back towards pre-outbreak condition and...

Advances in the control and management of the southern pine bark beetles

Treesearch

T. Evan Nebeker

2004-01-01

Management of members of the southern pine bark beetle guild, which consists of five species, is a continually evolving process. A number of management strategies and tactics have remained fairly constant over time as new ones are being added. These basic practices include doing nothing, direct control, and indirect control. This chapter focuses primarily on the latter...

Drought induced tree mortality and ensuing bark beetle outbreaks in southwestern pinyon-juniper woodlands

Treesearch

Michael J. Clifford; Monique E. Rocca; Robert Delph; Paulette L. Ford; Neil S. Cobb

2008-01-01

The current drought and ensuing bark beetle outbreaks during 2002 to 2004 in the Southwest have greatly increased tree mortality in pinyon-juniper woodlands. We studied causes and consequences of the drought-induced mortality. First, we tested the paradigm that high stand densities in pinyon-juniper woodlands would increase tree mortality. Stand densities did not...

Effects of a Commercial Chitosan Formulation on Bark Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Resistance Parameters in Loblolly Pine

Treesearch

K. D. Klepzig; B. L. Strom

2011-01-01

A commercially available chitosan product, Beyond™, was evaluated for its effects on loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., responses believed related to bark beetle resistance. Treatments were applied 4 times at approx. 6-wk intervals between May and November 2008. Five treatments were evaluated: ground application (soil drench), foliar application, ground...

Simulating coupled carbon and nitrogen dynamics following bark beetle outbreaks in the western United States

Treesearch

Steven L. Edburg; Jeffrey A. Hicke; David M. Lawrence; Peter E. Thornton

2011-01-01

Insect outbreaks are major ecosystem disturbances, affecting a similar area as forest fires annually across North America. Tree mortality caused by bark beetle outbreaks alters carbon cycling in the first several years following the disturbance by reducing stand-level primary production and by increasing the amount of dead organic matter available for decomposition....

Ethanol and (–)-α-pinene for detecting and monitoring bark and ambrosia beetles in the southeastern USA

Treesearch

Daniel R. Miller; Robert J. Rabaglia; Christopher M. Crowe

2011-01-01

Our objective was to verify the need for separate traps baited with ethanol or ethanol and (–)-α-pinene for bark and ambrosia beetles in pine stands of the southeastern U.S. Eight trapping experiments were conducted in stands of mature pine in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Chemosterilants to control bark beetles...tepa shows promise in preliminary test

Treesearch

Robert L. Lyon; Patrick J. Shea

1967-01-01

In a preliminary study, two chemosterilants-tepa and hempa-were tested for their effects on the fertility of adult bark beetles (Ips confusus [LeConte). Hempa was Ineffective. Tepa proved 97 percent effective in reducing egg hatch, when applied at 10 µg./10 mg. body weight to both parents. The possibility of using a chemosterilant and the...

Effectiveness of modified White's solution at removing ascomycetes associated with the bark beetle Ips pini

Treesearch

B.J. Kopper; Kier D. Klepzig; K.F. Raffa

2003-01-01

Modified White's solution (1 g HgCl2/l H2O) is widely used to surface disinfest bark beetles of their phoretic fungi. We investigated the effectiveness of this solution at disinfesting adult Ips pini from its associated ophiostomatoid fungi. A treatment for 1, 4 or 8 min does not completely rid...

Fuel loadings 5 years after a bark beetle outbreak in south-western USA ponderosa pine forests

Treesearch

Chad M. Hoffman; Carolyn Hull Sieg; Joel D. McMillin; Peter Z. Fule

2012-01-01

Landscape-level bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) outbreaks occurred in Arizona ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Law.) forests from 2001 to 2003 in response to severe drought and suitable forest conditions.We quantified surface fuel loadings and depths, and calculated canopy fuels based on forest structure attributes in 60 plots established 5...

Impact of Platysoma parallelum and Plegaderus transversus (Coleoptera: Histeridae) predation on developing Ips calligraphus and Ips grandicollis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) brood

Treesearch

William P. Shepherd; Richard A. Goyer

2005-01-01

As a group, arthropod natural enemies have been shown to substantially reduce within-tree pine bark beetle populations. However, little is known about the impacts of individual species on bark beetle mortality. In a controlled laboratory study, we measured the effects of two predaceous histerid species, Platysoma parallelum (Say) and ...

Determining the vulnerability of Mexican pine forests to bark beetles of the genus Dendroctonus Erichson (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Treesearch

Y. Salinas-Moreno; A. Ager; C.F. Vargas; J.L. Hayes; G. Zuniga

2010-01-01

Bark beetles of the genus Dendroctonus are natural inhabitants of forests; under particular conditions some species of this genus can cause large-scale tree mortality. However, only in recent decades has priority been given to the comprehensive study of these insects in Mexico. Mexico possesses high ecological diversity in Dendroctonus-...

Effectiveness of permethrin plus-C (Masterline®) and carbaryl (Sevin SL®) for protecting individual, high-value pines from bark beetle attack

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Thomas E. DeGomez; Kenneth E. Gibson; Christopher J. Dabney; Robert R. Borys

2006-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) are commonly recognized as the most important mortality agent in western coniferous forests. High value trees, such as those located in residential, recreational, or administrative sites, are particularly susceptible to attack. Regardless of landowner objectives, tree losses in these unique environments generally have a...

Braconid (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) parasitoids of bark beetles in upland spruce stands of the Czech Republic

Treesearch

Aural Lozan; Jiri Zeleny

2003-01-01

Several species of bark beetles occur frequently in the upland spruce forests of the Czech Republic; some of them are serious pests that may cause vast destruction of forest stands. In the last decade, a complex of several species from the genera Ips, Pityogenes and Polygraphus contributed to large-scale devastation of thousand...

Height preference of Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, the banded elm bark beetle of American elm, Ulmus americana

Treesearch

S. McElwey; J. F. Negron; J. Withrow

2007-01-01

Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, the banded elm bark beetle, was first detected in North America in April 2003 in Colorado and Utah by the Rapid Detection and Response Pilot Project sponsored by APHIS and USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection. It was captured in Lindgren funnel traps baited with a-pinene, ethanol, and the Ips typographus...

Influence of ozone and nitrogen deposition on bark beetle activity under drought conditions

Treesearch

Michele Eatough Jones; Timothy D. Paine; Mark E. Fenn; Mark A. Poth

2004-01-01

Four years of severe drought from 1999 through 2003 led to unprecedented bark beetle activity in ponderosa and Jeffrey pine in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains of southern California. Pines in the San Bernardino Mountains also were heavily impacted by ozone and nitrogenous pollutants originating from urban and agricultural areas in the Los Angeles basin. We...

Nitrogen budgets of phloem-feeding bark beetles with and without symbiotic fungi

Treesearch

Matthew P. Ayres; Richard T. Wilkens; J. Ruel; Maria J. Lombardero; Erich Vallery

2000-01-01

The nitrogen content of plant tissue is low relative to that of herbivores; as a consequence, dietary N can limit the growth and reproduction of herbivores and select for attributes that increase N acquisition. Bark beetles face a particularly severe challenge because the phloem that they consume is very low in nitrogen and phosphorus relative to their requirements. We...

New introduction in California: the redhaired pine bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda Fabricius

Treesearch

Deguang Liu; Michael J. Bohne; Jana C. Lee; Mary Louise Flint; Richard L. Penrose; Steven J. Seybold

2007-01-01

An overwintering North American population of the redhaired pine bark beetle (RPBB) was first discovered in November 2000 in Rochester, New York. In July 2003 it was also detected at two locations in Los Angeles County, California near heavily urbanized areas where exotic pines of Mediterranean origin are favored landscape trees. California and New York currently have...

Importance of resin ducts in reducing ponderosa pine mortality from bark beetle attack.

PubMed

Kane, Jeffrey M; Kolb, Thomas E

2010-11-01

The relative importance of growth and defense to tree mortality during drought and bark beetle attacks is poorly understood. We addressed this issue by comparing growth and defense characteristics between 25 pairs of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trees that survived and trees that died from drought-associated bark beetle attacks in forests of northern Arizona, USA. The three major findings of our research were: (1) xylem resin ducts in live trees were >10% larger (diameter), >25% denser (no. of resin ducts mm(-2)), and composed >50% more area per unit ring growth than dead trees; (2) measures of defense, such as resin duct production (no. of resin ducts year(-1)) and the proportion of xylem ring area to resin ducts, not growth, were the best model parameters of ponderosa pine mortality; and (3) most correlations between annual variation in growth and resin duct characteristics were positive suggesting that conditions conducive to growth also increase resin duct production. Our results suggest that trees that survive drought and subsequent bark beetle attacks invest more carbon in resin defense than trees that die, and that carbon allocation to resin ducts is a more important determinant of tree mortality than allocation to radial growth.

Impact of Prescribed Fire and Thinning on Host Resistance to the Southern Pine Beetle: Preliminary Results of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study

Treesearch

M. Forbes Boyle; Roy L. Hedden; Thomas A. Waldrop

2004-01-01

The southern pine beetle ( Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm.) is considered one of the most aggressive insect pests in the Southern United States. Resistance to southern pine beetle infestations in southern pines depends largely on oleoresin flow rate and total flow. Treatments, such as prescribed fire and thinning, can be used to reduce stand infestation susceptibil-ity by...

Effectiveness of polyethylene sheeting in controlling spruce beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in infested stacks of spruce firewood in Alaska.

Treesearch

Edward H. Holsten; Richard A. Werner

1993-01-01

Covering stacks of spruce firewood with either clear or black polyethylene sheeting does not raise log temperatures high enough to kill spruce beetle brood in the logs. Based on the results of this study, we do not recommend the use of polyethylene sheeting as a remedial measure for the reduction of spruce beetle brood in infested firewood or log decks in south-central...

Asian Longhorned Beetle: Renewed threat to north-eastern USA and implications worldwide

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB; ANOPLOPHORA GLABRIPENNIS Motschulsky) is a serious invasive pest of urban forests in North America and Europe, with infestations in New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Toronto, Canada, Germany, Austria, Italy and France. In July 2008 a new ALB infestation was discovere...

Host preference and host colonization of the Asian long-horned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera Cerambycidae), in Southern Europe.

PubMed

Faccoli, M; Favaro, R

2016-06-01

The Asian long-horned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), is a highly polyphagous invasive pest with a broad range of host species, but showing relevant differences between infestation areas. Host preference and host colonization (female fecundity, egg and larval survival) were assessed in a population in Northern Italy by choice and no-choice experiments conducted in both field and laboratory conditions. During 5 years of field observations, ALB was found to infest seven genera of trees: Acer, Aesculus, Betula, Populus, Prunus, Salix and Ulmus. However, Acer, Betula, Ulmus and Salix resulted to be the preferred hosts corresponding to 97.5% (1112) of the 1140 infested trees. In both laboratory and field trials carried out on these four host genera, no-choice experiments recorded the highest host colonization of A. glabripennis on Acer trees, with the highest number of laid eggs and the lowest egg and larval mortality. Ulmus and Salix showed a lower number of laid eggs during laboratory choice test, but egg and larval mortality had mean values similar to Acer. On the contrary, despite the high number of Betula trees felled during the eradication plan carried out in the infestation area, this tree species showed the lowest beetle suitability in terms of number of laid eggs and insect survival. An overestimation of the number of infested Betula occurring during the tree survey may explain the discordance between high number of infested Betula and low beetle suitability. Instead, the large number of infested Acer recorded in the field was probably due to the high abundance of these trees occurring in parks and gardens within the infestation area and to the low adult dispersal of A. glabripennis. Overall, results from this study confirm that host species affects both beetle colonization and breeding performance. The study shows ALB host preference and host suitability varying between tree species, suggesting an ALB acceptance even of sub-optimal hosts.

Modeling wind fields and fire propagation following bark beetle outbreaks in spatially-heterogeneous pinyon-juniper woodland fuel complexes

Treesearch

Rodman R. Linn; Carolyn H. Sieg; Chad M. Hoffman; Judith L. Winterkamp; Joel D. McMillin

2013-01-01

We used a physics-based model, HIGRAD/FIRETEC, to explore changes in within-stand wind behavior and fire propagation associated with three time periods in pinyon-juniper woodlands following a drought-induced bark beetle outbreak and subsequent tree mortality. Pinyon-juniper woodland fuel complexes are highly heterogeneous. Trees often are clumped, with sparse patches...

Use of sporothecae by phoretic Tarsonemus mites to transport ascospores of coniferous bluestain fungi

Treesearch

John C. Moser

1985-01-01

Certain female Tarsonemus mites, like their host bark beetles, carry a specific fungus upon which the mites feed, inside a special morphological, spore-carrying structure called a sporotheca.The sporotheca is similar to the mycangium described for bark beetles, but differs in that no gland cells are present and the fungal spores do not multiply in the structure.So far...

Evidence for divergence in cuticular hydrocarbon sex pheromone between California and Mississippi (United States of America) populations of bark beetle parasitoid Roptrocerus xylophagorum (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae).

Treesearch

Brian Sullivan; Nadir Erbilgin

2014-01-01

Roptrocerus xylophagorum (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a common Holarctic parasitoid of the larvae and pupae of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scotytinae). In no-choice laboratory bioassays, we found that male wasps derived either from northern California or southwestern Mississippi, United States of America more frequently displayed sexual...

Ethanol and (-)-a-pinene: attractants for bark and ambrosia beetles in southeastern USA.

Treesearch

D. R. Miller; R. J. Rabaglia

2009-01-01

In 2002–2004, we examined the flight responses of 49 species of native and exotic bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae and Platypodidae) to traps baited with ethanol and/or (−)-α-pinene in the southeastern US. Eight field trials were conducted in mature pine stands in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South...

Ethanol and (-)-?-pinene: attratant kairomones for bark ad ambrosia beetles in the Southeastern US

Treesearch

Daniel R. Miller; Robert J. Rabaglia

2009-01-01

In 2002–2004, we examined the flight responses of 49 species of native and exotic bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae and Platypodidae) to traps baited with ethanol and/or (?)-?-pinene in the southeastern US. Eight field trials were conducted in mature pine stands in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Funnel traps baited with...

Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest: bark beetle responses to differences in forest structure and the application of prescribed fire in interior ponderosa pine

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Robert R. Borys; Stephen R. McKelvey; Christopher P. Dabney

2008-01-01

Mechanical thinning and the application of prescribed fire are commonly used tools in the restoration of fire-adapted forest ecosystems. However, few studies have explored their effects on subsequent amounts of bark beetle caused tree mortality in interior ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws. var. ponderosa. In...

Effectiveness of bifenthrin (Onyx) and carbaryl (Sevin SL) for protecting individual, high-value conifers from bark beetle attack (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in the Western United States

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Kurt K. Allen; Robert R. Borys; John Christopherson; Christopher P. Dabney; Thomas J. Eager; Kenneth E. Gibson; Elizabeth G. Hebertson; Daniel F. Long; A. Steven Munson; Patrick J. Shea; Sheri L. Smith; Michael I. Haverty

2006-01-01

High-value trees, such as those located in residential, recreational, or administrative sites, are particularly susceptible to bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) attack as a result of increased amounts of stress associated with drought, soil compaction, mechanical injury, or vandalism. Tree losses in these unique environments generally have a...

Components of Antagonism and Mutualism in Ips pini–Fungal Interactions: Relationship to a Life History of Colonizing Highly Stressed and Dead Trees

Treesearch

Brian J. Kopper; Kier D. Klepzig; Kenneth F. Raffa

2004-01-01

Efforts to describe the complex relationships between bark beetles and the ophiostomatoid (stain) fungi they transport have largely resulted in a dichotomous classification. These symbioses have been viewed as either mutualistic (i.e., fungi help bark beetles colonize living trees by overcoming tree defenses or by providing nutrients after colonization in return for...

Managing slash to minimize colonization of residual leave trees by Ips and other bark beetle species following thinning in southwestern ponderosa pine

Treesearch

T. DeGomez; C.J. Fettig; J.D. McMillin; J.A. Anhold; C.J. Hayes

2008-01-01

Due to high fire hazard and perceived reductions in forest health, thinning of small diameter trees has become a prevalent management activity particularly in dense stands. Creation of large amounts of logging slash, however, has created large quantities of habitat for bark beetles primarily in the Ips genus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae,...

Stand level impacts of Ips and Dendroctonus bark beetles in pine forest types of northern Arizona

Treesearch

Joel McMillin; John Anhold; Jose Negron

2008-01-01

(Please note, this is an extended abstract only) Extensive tree mortality occurred in ponderosa pine forests and pinon-juniper woodlands of Arizona from 2001-2004. This mortality has been attributed to a combination of an extensive drought, overstocked stands of pine, and increased bark beetle populations. A complex of Ips and Dendroctonus species worked in concert to...

Acceptance and suitability of novel trees for Orthotomicus erosus, an exotic bark beetle in North America

Treesearch

A.J. Walter; R.C. Venette; S.A. Kells

2010-01-01

To predict whether an herbivorous pest insect will establish in a new area, the potential host plants must be known. For invading bark beetles, adults must recognize and accept trees suitable for larval development. The preference-performance hypothesis predicts that adults will select host species that maximize the fitness of their offspring. We tested five species of...

Dose-Dependent and Species-Specific Responses of Pine Bark Beetles (Coeoptera: Scolytidae) to Monoterpenes in Association with Phermones

Treesearch

Daniel R. Miller; John H. Borden

2000-01-01

Monoterpenes affected the attraction of three sympatric species of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) to pheromone-baited multiple-funnel traps in stands of lodgepole pine. Catches of Ips pini(Say) in traps baited with its pheromone, ipsdienol, were directly related to the release rates of 3-carene, ß-pphellandrene, and ß-pinene. Catches of

A decade of streamwater nitrogen and forest dynamics after a mountain pine beetle outbreak at the Fraser Experimental Forest, Colorado

Treesearch

Charles C. Rhoades; Robert M. Hubbard; Kelly Elder

2017-01-01

Forests of western North America are currently experiencing extensive tree mortality from a variety of bark beetle species, and insect outbreaks are projected to increase under warmer, drier climates. Unlike the abrupt biogeochemical changes typical after wildfire and timber harvesting, the outcomes of insect outbreaks are poorly understood. The mountain pine bark...

Ponderosa pine resin defenses and growth: metrics matter.

PubMed

Hood, Sharon; Sala, Anna

2015-11-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) cause widespread tree mortality in coniferous forests worldwide. Constitutive and induced host defenses are important factors in an individual tree's ability to survive an attack and in bottom-up regulation of bark beetle population dynamics, yet quantifying defense levels is often difficult. For example, in Pinus spp., resin flow is important for resistance to bark beetles but is extremely variable among individuals and within a season. While resin is produced and stored in resin ducts, the specific resin duct metrics that best correlate with resin flow remain unclear. The ability and timing of some pine species to produce induced resin is also not well understood. We investigated (i) the relationships between ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson) resin flow and axial resin duct characteristics, tree growth and physiological variables, and (ii) if mechanical wounding induces ponderosa pine resin flow and resin ducts in the absence of bark beetles. Resin flow increased later in the growing season under moderate water stress and was highest in faster growing trees. The best predictors of resin flow were nonstandardized measures of resin ducts, resin duct size and total resin duct area, both of which increased with tree growth. However, while faster growing trees tended to produce more resin, models of resin flow using only tree growth were not statistically significant. Further, the standardized measures of resin ducts, density and duct area relative to xylem area, decreased with tree growth rate, indicating that slower growing trees invested more in resin duct defenses per unit area of radial growth, despite a tendency to produce less resin overall. We also found that mechanical wounding induced ponderosa pine defenses, but this response was slow. Resin flow increased after 28 days, and resin duct production did not increase until the following year. These slow induced responses may allow unsuccessfully attacked or wounded trees to resist future bark beetle attacks. Forest management that encourages healthy, vigorously growing trees will also favor larger resin ducts, thereby conferring increased constitutive resistance to bark beetle attacks. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Southern Pine Beetle Competitors

Treesearch

Fred M. Stephen

2011-01-01

When southern pine beetles mass attack a living pine tree, if colonization is successful the tree dies and its phloem becomes immediately available to a complex of other bark beetles and long-horned beetles, all of which, in order to reproduce, compete for the new resource. In southern pines the phloem-inhabiting guild is composed of the southern pine beetle...

The impact of an invasive ambrosia beetle on the riparian habitats of the Tijuana River Valley, California

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The Tijuana River Valley is the first natural habitat in California to be substantially invaded by the Kuroshio Shot Hole Borer (KSHB, Euwallacea sp.), an ambrosia beetle native to Southeast Asia. This paper documents the distribution of the KSHB in the riparian vegetation in the valley and assesses the damage done to the vegetation as of early 2016, approximately six months after the beetle was first observed in the valley. I divided the riparian habitats into 29 survey units so that the vegetation within each unit was relatively homogenous in terms of plant species composition, age and density. From a random point within each unit, I examined approximately 60 individuals of the dominant plant species for evidence of KSHB infestation and evidence of major damage such as limb breakage. In the 22 forested units,I examined the dominant arroyo and black willows (Salix lasiolepis Benth. and S. gooddingii C.R. Ball), and in the seven scrub units, I examined mule fat (Baccharis salicifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers.). Evidence of KSHB infestation was found in 25 of the 29 units. In the forest units, infestation rates ranged from 0 to 100% and were high (>60%) in 16 of the units. In the scrub units, infestation rates ranged from 0 to 33%. Infestation rates were significantly correlated with the wetness of a unit; wetter units had higher infestation rates. Evidence of major physical damage was found in 24 units, and dense stands of willows were reduced to broken trunks in several areas. Overall, I estimated that more than 280,000 (70%) of the willows in the valley were infested, and more than 140,000 had suffered major limb damage. In addition, I recorded evidence of KSHB infestation in the other common plant species in the valley; of the 23 species examined, 14 showed evidence of beetle attack. The four species with the highest rates of infestation were native trees in the Salicaceae family. The three species considered to be the worst invasive plants in the valley, Ricinus communis L., Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. and Arundo donax L., had low rates of infestation. Several findings from this study have significance for resource managers: (1) the KSHB attack caused extensive mortality of trees soon after being first discovered so, if managers are to control the spread of the beetle, they will need to develop an effective early detection and rapid response program; (2) infestation rates were highest in units that were wet, so resource managers trying to detect the beetle in other areas should thoroughly search trees near water, particularly nutrient-enriched water; (3) the infestation appears to be a novel form of disturbance, and the affected forests may need special management actions in order to recover; and (4) the infestation has altered the structure of the forest canopy, and this is likely to promote the growth of invasive plant species that were relatively inconspicuous in the forests prior to the beetle attack but will now need more attention. PMID:27366644

The impact of an invasive ambrosia beetle on the riparian habitats of the Tijuana River Valley, California.

PubMed

Boland, John M

2016-01-01

The Tijuana River Valley is the first natural habitat in California to be substantially invaded by the Kuroshio Shot Hole Borer (KSHB, Euwallacea sp.), an ambrosia beetle native to Southeast Asia. This paper documents the distribution of the KSHB in the riparian vegetation in the valley and assesses the damage done to the vegetation as of early 2016, approximately six months after the beetle was first observed in the valley. I divided the riparian habitats into 29 survey units so that the vegetation within each unit was relatively homogenous in terms of plant species composition, age and density. From a random point within each unit, I examined approximately 60 individuals of the dominant plant species for evidence of KSHB infestation and evidence of major damage such as limb breakage. In the 22 forested units,I examined the dominant arroyo and black willows (Salix lasiolepis Benth. and S. gooddingii C.R. Ball), and in the seven scrub units, I examined mule fat (Baccharis salicifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers.). Evidence of KSHB infestation was found in 25 of the 29 units. In the forest units, infestation rates ranged from 0 to 100% and were high (>60%) in 16 of the units. In the scrub units, infestation rates ranged from 0 to 33%. Infestation rates were significantly correlated with the wetness of a unit; wetter units had higher infestation rates. Evidence of major physical damage was found in 24 units, and dense stands of willows were reduced to broken trunks in several areas. Overall, I estimated that more than 280,000 (70%) of the willows in the valley were infested, and more than 140,000 had suffered major limb damage. In addition, I recorded evidence of KSHB infestation in the other common plant species in the valley; of the 23 species examined, 14 showed evidence of beetle attack. The four species with the highest rates of infestation were native trees in the Salicaceae family. The three species considered to be the worst invasive plants in the valley, Ricinus communis L., Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. and Arundo donax L., had low rates of infestation. Several findings from this study have significance for resource managers: (1) the KSHB attack caused extensive mortality of trees soon after being first discovered so, if managers are to control the spread of the beetle, they will need to develop an effective early detection and rapid response program; (2) infestation rates were highest in units that were wet, so resource managers trying to detect the beetle in other areas should thoroughly search trees near water, particularly nutrient-enriched water; (3) the infestation appears to be a novel form of disturbance, and the affected forests may need special management actions in order to recover; and (4) the infestation has altered the structure of the forest canopy, and this is likely to promote the growth of invasive plant species that were relatively inconspicuous in the forests prior to the beetle attack but will now need more attention.

Simple and Efficient Trap for Bark and Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to Facilitate Invasive Species Monitoring and Citizen Involvement.

PubMed

Steininger, M S; Hulcr, J; Šigut, M; Lucky, A

2015-06-01

Bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae & Platypodinae) are among the most damaging forest pests worldwide, and monitoring is essential to damage prevention. Unfortunately, traps and attractants that are currently used are costly, and agencies rely on limited field personnel for deployment. The situation can be greatly aided by 1) the development of cost-effective trapping techniques, and 2) distribution of the effort through the Citizen Science approach. The goal of this study was to test a simple, effective trap that can be made and deployed by anyone interested in collecting bark and ambrosia beetles. Three trap types made from 2-liter soda bottles and, separately, four attractants were compared. Simple, one-window traps performed comparably at capturing species in traps painted or with multiple windows. A comparison of attractants in two-window traps found that 95% ethanol attracted the highest number of species but that Purell hand sanitizer (70% ethanol) and then Germ-X hand sanitizer (63% ethanol) were also effective. A perforated zip-top plastic bag containing Purell hanging over a trap filled with automobile antifreeze attracted the fewest species and individual specimens. Overall, >4,500 bark and ambrosia beetles, including 30 species were captured, representing a third of the regional species diversity. More than three quarters of the specimens were nonnative, representing nearly half of the known regional exotic species. These results suggest that simple one-window soda bottle traps baited with ethanol-based hand sanitizer will be effective and inexpensive tools for large-scale monitoring of bark and ambrosia beetles. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Spectral evidence of early-stage spruce beetle infestation in Engelmann spruce

Treesearch

Adrianna C. Foster; Jonathan A. Walter; Herman H. Shugart; Jason Sibold; Jose Negron

2017-01-01

Spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) outbreaks cause widespread mortality of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii (Parry ex Engelm)) within the subalpine forests of the western United States. Early detection of infestations could allow forest managers to mitigate outbreaks or anticipate a response to tree mortality and the potential effects on ecosystem...

Area-wide efficacy of a localized forest pest management practice

Treesearch

J.T. Cronin; P. Turchin; J.L. Hayes; C.A. Steiner

1999-01-01

Few experimental studies have examined the movement of forest pest populations, particularly in response to management tactics that disrupt the growth of pest infestations.We quantified the interinfestation patterns of dispersal of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, by monitoring the fates of marked beetles after emergence from small natural infestations...

Southern Pine Beetle Field Survey

Treesearch

Saul D. Petty

2011-01-01

Southern pine beetle (SPB) is one of the most formidable insect pests impacting southern forests. Federal, State, and private forest managers have always dealt with this pest in some capacity. One of the primary requirements for controlling SPB is locating infestations on the ground. Once the infestation has been located, data is collected and used in management...

HOW to Differentiate Dutch Elm Disease from Elm Phloem Necrosis

Treesearch

Lester Paul Gibson; Arthur R. Hastings; Leon A. LeMadeliene

1981-01-01

Dutch elm disease (DED) and elm phloem necrosis are the two most serious diseases of elm in the United States (Figs. 1 and 2). Most native species of elm are susceptible to both diseases. Dutch elm disease is caused by a fungus, Ceratocystis u1mi (Buisman) C. Moreau, and is transmitted by two species of elm bark beetles-the smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus...

Studies in the wilderness areas of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge: fire, bark beetles, human development, and climate change

Treesearch

Edward E. Berg

2000-01-01

Wilderness areas comprise 65% of the 1.92 million acre Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Fire history studies indicate that fire frequency increased substantially in both white and black spruce forests after European settlement. Dendrochronolgy studies indicate that regional-scale spruce bark beetle outbreaks occurred in the 1820s, 1880s, and 1970s. None of these...

Effects of diterpene acids on components of a conifer bark beetle-fungal interaction : tolerance by Ips pini and sensitivity by its associate Ophiostoma ips

Treesearch

Brian J. Kopper; Barbara L. Illman; Philip J. Kersten; Kier D. Klepzig; Kenneth F. Raffa

2005-01-01

Conifer resin and phloem tissue contain several phytochemical groups, composed primarily of monoterpenes, diterpene acids, and stilbene phenolics. The effects of monoterpenes and phenolics on stem-colonizing bark beetles and their associated microorganisms have been studied to some extent, but the roles of diterpene acids are largely unknown. Diterpene acids are known...

Association of wildfire with tree health and numbers of pine bark beetles, reproduction weevils and their associates in Florida

Treesearch

James L. Hanula; James R. Meeker; Daniel R. Miller; Edward L. Barnard

2002-01-01

Wildfires burned over 200,000 ha of forests in Florida from April to July 1998. This unique disturbance event provided a valuable opportunity to study the interactions of summer wildfires with the activity of pine feeding insects and their associates in the southeastern United States. We compared tree mortality with abundance of bark and ambrosia beetles, reproduction...

Effectiveness of bifenthrin (Onyx™) and carbaryl (Sevin® SL) for protecting individual, high-value trees from bark beetle attack (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in the western United States

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Kurt K. Allen; Robert R. Borys; John Christopherson; Christopher P. Dabney; Thomas J. Eager; Kenneth E. Gibson; Elizabeth G. Hebertson; Daniel F. Long; A. Steven Munson; Patrick J. Shea; Sheri L. Smith; Michael I. Haverty

2006-01-01

High-value trees, such as those located in residential, recreational, or administrative sites, are particularly susceptible to bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) attack as a result of increased amounts of stress associated with drought, soil compaction, mechanical injury, or vandalism. Tree losses in these unique environments generally have a...

Effects of fire and fire surrogate treatments on bark beetle-caused tree mortality in the Southern Cascades, California

Treesearch

C.J. Fettig; R.R. Borys; C.P. and Dabney

2010-01-01

We examined bark beetle responses to fire and fire surrogate treatments 2 and 4 years after the application of prescribed fire in a mixed-conifer forest in northern California. Treatments included an untreated control (C), thinning from below (T), and applications of prescribed fire (B) and T + B replicated three times in 10-ha experimental units. A total of 1,822...

Contrasting Patterns of Diterpene Acid Induction by Red Pine and White Spruce to Simulated Bark Beetle Attack, and Interspecific Differences in Sensitivity Among Fungal Associates

Treesearch

Charles J. Mason; Kier D. Klepzig; Brian J. Kopper; Philip J. Kersten; Barbara L. Illman; Kenneth F. Raffa

2015-01-01

Conifers possess a suite of physiochemical defenses that protect their subcortical tissues from bark beetle -fungal complexes. These defenses include rapid induction of terpenoids and phenolics at the site of attack. Studies of the distribution, induction, and bioactivity of conifer terpenoids have focused heavily on monoterpenes. We assessed induction of diterpene...

Numerical simulation of crown fire hazard following bark beetle-caused mortality in lodgepole pine forests

Treesearch

Chad Hoffman; Russell Parsons; Penny Morgan; Ruddy Mell

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate how varying amounts of MPB-induced tree mortality affects the amount of crown fuels consumed and the fire intensity across a range of lodgepole pine stands of different tree density and spatial arrangements during the early stages of a bark beetle outbreak. Unlike past studies which have relied on semi-empirical or empirical...

Prediction of forest canopy and surface fuels from lidar and satellite time series data in a bark beetle-affected forest

Treesearch

Benjamin C. Bright; Andrew T. Hudak; Arjan J. H. Meddens; Todd J. Hawbaker; Jennifer S. Briggs; Robert E. Kennedy

2017-01-01

Wildfire behavior depends on the type, quantity, and condition of fuels, and the effect that bark beetle outbreaks have on fuels is a topic of current research and debate. Remote sensing can provide estimates of fuels across landscapes, although few studies have estimated surface fuels from remote sensing data. Here we predicted and mapped field-measured canopy and...

Observations and modeling of aboveground tree carbon stocks and fluxes following a bark beetle outbreak in the western United States

Treesearch

Eric M. Pfeifer; Jeffrey A. Hicke; Arjan J.H. Meddens

2011-01-01

Bark beetle epidemics result in tree mortality across millions of hectares in North America. However, few studies have quantified impacts on carbon (C) cycling. In this study, we quantified the immediate response and subsequent trajectories of stand-level aboveground tree C stocks and fluxes using field measurements and modeling for a location in central Idaho, USA...

Coffee Berry Borer Joins Bark Beetles in Coffee Klatch

PubMed Central

Jaramillo, Juliana; Torto, Baldwyn; Mwenda, Dickson; Troeger, Armin; Borgemeister, Christian; Poehling, Hans-Michael; Francke, Wittko

2013-01-01

Unanswered key questions in bark beetle-plant interactions concern host finding in species attacking angiosperms in tropical zones and whether management strategies based on chemical signaling used for their conifer-attacking temperate relatives may also be applied in the tropics. We hypothesized that there should be a common link in chemical signaling mediating host location by these Scolytids. Using laboratory behavioral assays and chemical analysis we demonstrate that the yellow-orange exocarp stage of coffee berries, which attracts the coffee berry borer, releases relatively high amounts of volatiles including conophthorin, chalcogran, frontalin and sulcatone that are typically associated with Scolytinae chemical ecology. The green stage of the berry produces a much less complex bouquet containing small amounts of conophthorin but no other compounds known as bark beetle semiochemicals. In behavioral assays, the coffee berry borer was attracted to the spiroacetals conophthorin and chalcogran, but avoided the monoterpenes verbenone and α-pinene, demonstrating that, as in their conifer-attacking relatives in temperate zones, the use of host and non-host volatiles is also critical in host finding by tropical species. We speculate that microorganisms formed a common basis for the establishment of crucial chemical signals comprising inter- and intraspecific communication systems in both temperate- and tropical-occurring bark beetles attacking gymnosperms and angiosperms. PMID:24073204

Coffee berry borer joins bark beetles in coffee klatch.

PubMed

Jaramillo, Juliana; Torto, Baldwyn; Mwenda, Dickson; Troeger, Armin; Borgemeister, Christian; Poehling, Hans-Michael; Francke, Wittko

2013-01-01

Unanswered key questions in bark beetle-plant interactions concern host finding in species attacking angiosperms in tropical zones and whether management strategies based on chemical signaling used for their conifer-attacking temperate relatives may also be applied in the tropics. We hypothesized that there should be a common link in chemical signaling mediating host location by these Scolytids. Using laboratory behavioral assays and chemical analysis we demonstrate that the yellow-orange exocarp stage of coffee berries, which attracts the coffee berry borer, releases relatively high amounts of volatiles including conophthorin, chalcogran, frontalin and sulcatone that are typically associated with Scolytinae chemical ecology. The green stage of the berry produces a much less complex bouquet containing small amounts of conophthorin but no other compounds known as bark beetle semiochemicals. In behavioral assays, the coffee berry borer was attracted to the spiroacetals conophthorin and chalcogran, but avoided the monoterpenes verbenone and α-pinene, demonstrating that, as in their conifer-attacking relatives in temperate zones, the use of host and non-host volatiles is also critical in host finding by tropical species. We speculate that microorganisms formed a common basis for the establishment of crucial chemical signals comprising inter- and intraspecific communication systems in both temperate- and tropical-occurring bark beetles attacking gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Colonization of weakened trees by mass-attacking bark beetles: no penalty for pioneers, scattered initial distributions and final regular patterns

PubMed Central

Gabriel, Edith; Louis, Marceau; Deneubourg, Jean-Louis; Grégoire, Jean-Claude

2018-01-01

Bark beetles use aggregation pheromones to promote group foraging, thus increasing the chances of an individual to find a host and, when relevant, to overwhelm the defences of healthy trees. When a male beetle finds a suitable host, it releases pheromones that attract potential mates as well as other ‘spying’ males, which result in aggregations on the new host. To date, most studies have been concerned with the use of aggregation pheromones by bark beetles to overcome the defences of living, well-protected trees. How insects behave when facing undefended or poorly defended hosts remains largely unknown. The spatio-temporal pattern of resource colonization by the European eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, was quantified when weakly defended hosts (fallen trees) were attacked. In many of the replicates, colonization began with the insects rapidly scattering over the available surface and then randomly filling the gaps until a regular distribution was established, which resulted in a constant decrease in nearest-neighbour distances to a minimum below which attacks were not initiated. The scattered distribution of the first attacks suggested that the trees were only weakly defended. A minimal theoretical distance of 2.5 cm to the earlier settlers (corresponding to a density of 3.13 attacks dm−2) was calculated, but the attack density always remained lower, between 0.4 and 1.2 holes dm−2, according to our observations. PMID:29410791

Effect of increasing temperatures on the distribution of spruce beetle in Engelmann spruce forests of the Interior West, USA

Treesearch

R. Justin DeRose; Barbara J. Bentz; James N. Long; John D. Shaw

2013-01-01

The spruce beetle (Dendoctronus rufipennis) is a pervasive bark beetle indigenous to spruce (Picea spp.) forests of North America. In the last two decades outbreaks of spruce beetle have increased in severity and extent. Increasing temperatures have been implicated as they directly control beetle populations, potentially inciting endemic populations to build to...

Effects of available water on growth and competition of southern pine beetle associated fungi

Treesearch

Kier D. Klepzig; J. Flores-Otero; R.W. Hofstetter; M.P. Ayers

2004-01-01

Competitive interactions among bark beetle associated fungi are potentially influenced by abiotic factors. Water potential, in particular, undergoes marked changes over the course of beetle colonization of tree hosts. To investigate the impact of water potential on competition among three southern pine beetle associated fungi, Ophiostoma minus,

Boring in response to bark and phloem extracts from North American trees does not explain host acceptance behavior of Orthotomicus erosus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae).

PubMed

Walter, Abigail J; Kells, Stephen A; Venette, Robert C; Seybold, Steven J

2010-04-01

When invasive herbivorous insects encounter novel plant species, they must determine whether the novel plants are hosts. The Mediterranean pine engraver, Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston), an exotic bark beetle poised to expand its range in North America, accepts hosts after contacting the bark. To test the hypothesis that O. erosus accepts hosts on the basis of gustatory cues, we prepared bark and phloem extracts from logs of four North American tree species that we had used in previous host acceptance experiments. Water, methanol, and hexane extracts of red pine, tamarack, balsam fir, and paper birch were presented alone and in combination on a neutral filter paper substrate in a section of a plastic drinking straw. Boring behavior in response to the three-extract combinations differed from the pattern of acceptance previously observed among species when the beetles were in contact with the bark surface. Only the aqueous extracts of tamarack, Larix laricina, increased the initiation and the extent of boring by O. erosus on the filter paper substrate. We conclude that the effects of extracted chemicals do not match the behavior of the beetles observed when penetrating excised bark and phloem discs, indicating that host selection by O. erosus may not be predictable from bark and phloem chemistry alone. Instead, host acceptance may be determined by nongustatory stimuli or by a combination of stimuli including gustatory and nongustatory cues.

Tree mortality from fires, bark beetles, and timber harvest during a hot and dry decade in the western United States (2003-2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berner, Logan T.; Law, Beverly E.; Meddens, Arjan J. H.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.

2017-06-01

High temperatures and severe drought contributed to extensive tree mortality from fires and bark beetles during the 2000s in parts of the western continental United States. Several states in this region have greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets and would benefit from information on the amount of carbon stored in tree biomass killed by disturbance. We quantified mean annual tree mortality from fires, bark beetles, and timber harvest from 2003-2012 for each state in this region. We estimated tree mortality from fires and beetles using tree aboveground carbon (AGC) stock and disturbance data sets derived largely from remote sensing. We quantified tree mortality from harvest using data from US Forest Service reports. In both cases, we used Monte Carlo analyses to track uncertainty associated with parameter error and temporal variability. Regional tree mortality from harvest, beetles, and fires (MORTH+B+F) together averaged 45.8 ± 16.0 Tg AGC yr-1 (±95% confidence interval), indicating a mortality rate of 1.10 ± 0.38% yr-1. Harvest accounted for the largest percentage of MORTH+B+F (˜50%), followed by beetles (˜32%), and fires (˜18%). Tree mortality from harvest was concentrated in Washington and Oregon, where harvest accounted for ˜80% of MORTH+B+F in each state. Tree mortality from beetles occurred widely at low levels across the region, yet beetles had pronounced impacts in Colorado and Montana, where they accounted for ˜80% of MORTH+B+F. Tree mortality from fires was highest in California, though fires accounted for the largest percentage of MORTH+B+F in Arizona and New Mexico (˜50%). Drought and human activities shaped regional variation in tree mortality, highlighting opportunities and challenges to managing GHG emissions from forests. Rising temperatures and greater risk of drought will likely increase tree mortality from fires and bark beetles during coming decades in this region. Thus, sustained monitoring and mapping of tree mortality is necessary to inform forest and GHG management.

Relationship of phoretic mites (Acari: Tarsonemidae) to the bluestaining fungus, Ceratocystis minor, in trees infested by southern pine beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Treesearch

Robert J. Bridges; John C. Moser

1985-01-01

Amount of bluestain caused by Ceratocystis minor (Hedgcock) Hunt in trees infested with the southern pine beetle (SPB). Dendroctonus frontalis zimmermann, was measuured in three Texas and Louisiana forests. It was significantly correlated with number of Tarsomemus krantzi Smiley & Moser, a mite phoretic on...

Infestation dynamics of the Asian longhorned beetle in the United States

Treesearch

Alan Sawyer

2007-01-01

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is an exotic pest of Asian origin, first discovered in North America (Brooklyn, NY) in 1996. That infestation has now spread to Queens, Manhattan and Long Island, NY and Jersey City, NJ. Based on DNA profiles (Carter et al. 2005) and other evidence, independent...

Dispersal of Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) From Operational and Simulated Mill Yards

Treesearch

Therese M Poland; Robert A. Haack; Toby R. Petrice; C. S. Sadof; D. W. Onstad

2000-01-01

The pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.), is an exotic pest that is regulated by federal quarantines in the United States and Canada. Mark-release-recapture experiments were performed with infested logs coated with fluorescent powder to determine if overwintering beetles in logs would leave a mill yard if infested logs were transported to...

Controlling the Southern Pine Beetle: Small Landowner Perceptions and Practices

Treesearch

Joseph J. Molnar; John Schelhas; Carrie Holeski

2003-01-01

The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis (Zimmermann) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) is one of the most serious threats to pine forest health in the South (4,24,29,30). Once a forest stand is infested, there are few options for immediate elimination and isolation of infested trees. The most effective approach to preventing losses from the southern...

Stand conditions associated with roundheaded pine beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) infestations in Arizona and Utah

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; Jill L. Wilson; John A. Anhold

2000-01-01

Stand conditions associated with outbreak populations of the roundheaded pine beetle, Dendroctonus adjunctus Blandford, in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., forests were studied in the Pinaleno Mountains, AZ, and the Pine Valley Mountains, UT. Classification tree models to estimate the probability of infestation based on stand attributes were built for...

Mapping burn severity, pine beetle infestation, and their interaction at the High Park Fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, Brandon

North America's western forests are experiencing wildfire and mountain pine beetle (MPB) disturbances that are unprecedented in the historic record, but it remains unclear whether and how MPB infestation influences post-infestation fire behavior. The 2012 High Park Fire burned in an area that's estimated to have begun a MPB outbreak cycle within five years before the wildfire, resulting in a landscape in which disturbance interactions can be studied. A first step in studying these interactions is mapping regions of beetle infestation and post-fire disturbance. We implemented an approach for mapping beetle infestation and burn severity using as source data three 5 m resolution RapidEye satellite images (two pre-fire, one post-fire). A two-tiered methodology was developed to overcome the spatial limitations of many classification approaches through explicit analyses at both pixel and plot level. Major land cover classes were photo-interpreted at the plot-level and their spectral signature used to classify 5 m images. A new image was generated at 25 m resolution by tabulating the fraction of coincident 5 m pixels in each cover class. The original photo interpretation was then used to train a second classification using as its source image the new 25 m image. Maps were validated using k-fold analysis of the original photo interpretation, field data collected immediately post-fire, and publicly available classifications. To investigate the influence of pre-fire beetle infestation on burn severity within the High Park Fire, we fit a log-linear model of conditional independence to our thematic maps after controlling for forest cover class and slope aspect. Our analysis revealed a high co-occurrence of severe burning and beetle infestation within high elevation lodgepole pine stands, but did not find statistically significant evidence that infected stands were more likely to burn severely than similar uninfected stands. Through an inspection of the year-to-year changes in the class fraction signatures of pixels classified as MPB infestation, we were able to observe increases in infection extent and intensity in the year before the fire. The resulting maps will help to increase our understanding of the process that contributed to the High Park Fire, and we believe that the novel classification approach will allow for improved characterization of forest disturbances.

ISPM No. 15 and the incidence of wood pests: Recent findings, policy changes, and current knowledge gaps

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack; Eckehard G. Brockerhoff

2011-01-01

Largely as a result of international trade, hundreds of species of bark- and wood-infesting insects have become established in countries outside their native range. Many of these exotic insects have caused severe economic and environmental impact to urban and forest trees in the receiving countries. Most bark- and wood-infesting insects have been transported to new...

Detection and quantification of Leptographium wageneri, the cause of black-stain root disease, from bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in North California using regular and real-time PCR

Treesearch

Wolfgang Schweigkofler; William J. Otrosina; Sheri L. Smith; Daniel R. Cluck; Kevin Maeda; Kabir G. Peay; Matteo Garbelotto

2005-01-01

Black-stain root disease is a threat to conifer forests in western North America. The disease is caused by the ophiostomatoid fungus Leptographium wageneri (W.B. Kendr.) M.J. Wingf., which is associated with a number of bark beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and weevil species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). We developed a polymerase chain reaction test...

The Western Bark Beetle Research Group: a unique collaboration with Forest Health Protection-proceedings of a symposium at the 2007 Society of American Foresters conference

Treesearch

J.L. Hayes; J.E. Lundquist

2009-01-01

The compilation of papers in this proceedings is based on a symposium sponsored by the Insect and Diseases Working Group (D5) at the 2007 Society of American Foresters (SAF) convention in Portland, Oregon. The selection of topics parallels the research priorities of the Western Bark Beetle Research Group (WBBRG) (USDA Forest Service, Research and Development), which...

Effect of ecosystem disturbance on diversity of bark and wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) ecosystems of Alaska.

Treesearch

Richard A. Werner

2002-01-01

Fire and timber harvest are the two major disturbances that alter forest ecosystems in interior Alaska. Both types of disturbance provide habitats that attract wood borers and bark beetles the first year after the disturbance, but populations then decrease to levels below those in undisturbed sites. Populations of scolytids, buprestids, and cerambycids are compared 1,...

A technique to artificially infest beech bark with beech scale, Cryptococcus fagisuga (Lindinger)

Treesearch

David R. Houston

1982-01-01

Beech bark disease is initiated when bark of beech trees (Fagus spp.) is attacked by the beech scale, Cryptococcus fagisuga Lindinger. The effects of the insect predispose tissues to bark cankering fungi of the genus Nectria. Critical studies of insect-fungus-host interactions had been stymied by the inability to...

Southern Pine Beetle Behavior and Semiochemistry

Treesearch

Brian T. Sullivan

2011-01-01

The southern pine beetle (SPB) feeds both as adults and larvae within the inner bark of pine trees, which invariably die as a result of colonization. Populations of the SPB erupt periodically and produce catastrophic losses of pines, while at other times the beetles persist almost undetectably in the environment. The southern pine beetle has evolved behaviors that...

Final report: Hydraulic mechanisms of survival and mortality during drought in pinon-juniper woodlands of southwestern USA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pockman, William

The goal of this project was to use rainfall manipulation of an intact pinon-juniper woodland in central New Mexico to understand the mechanisms that control the response of these species to extremes of rainfall. Experimental plots were installed in a pinon-juniper woodland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge and treatments were imposed in August 2007. Treatments consisted of 1) a Drought treatment imposed by diverting approximately 45% of precipitation away from the plot, 2) and Irrigation treatment imposed by applying six 19 mm simulated rainfall events at regular intervals during the growing season, 3) a Cover Control treatment designed tomore » assess the impact of the plastic troughs constructed on Drought plots without imposing the rainfall diversion, and 4) an untreated control that received no modification. Extensive pinon mortality was observed beginning one year after the start of drought treatment on hillslope plots, while a third drought plot on deeper soils did not exhibit pinon mortality until the fifth year of drought treatment. Pinon mortality occurred in the context of high levels of bark beetle activity, motivating the installation of two additional plots in 2010: a control plot and a drought plot built to the same standards as the original treatments but with bark beetle control maintained by pesticide application to the bole of target trees from 2010 - 2016. Although the drought treatment created similar conditions to those experienced on hillslope drought plots, the drought plot with bark beetle control exhibited no pinon mortality for 5 years even in the presence of high regional bark beetle activity in 2012/13. One of the goals of the research was to identify the mechanism of drought-induced mortality in pinon and juniper: 1) mortality due to catastrophic failure of water transport through plant tissues (hydraulic failure), 2) mortality due to limitations in carbon uptake (carbon starvation) and 3) either of the first two mechanisms with the involvement of bark beetles and other pathogens. Data from this study implicate the interaction of hydraulic failure and carbon limitations with bark beetles playing a pivotal role in influencing the timing of mortality. The uncommon nature of this kind of large scale manipulative experiment has motivated widespread use of the data from the various treatments in modeling exercises with several collaborative groups.« less

Detection and mapping of mountain pine beetle red attack: Matching information needs with appropriate remotely sensed data

Treesearch

M. A. Wulder; J. C. White; B. J. Bentz

2005-01-01

Estimates of the location and extent of the red attack stage of mountain pine beetle (Dentroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) infestations are critical for forest management. The degree of spatial and temporal precision required for these estimates varies according to the management objectives and the nature of the infestation. This paper outlines a hierarchy of information...

Augmenting the existing survey hierarchy for mountain pine beetle red-attack damage with satellite remotely sensed data

Treesearch

M. A. Wulder; J. C. White; B. J. Bentz; T. Ebata

2006-01-01

Estimates of the location and extent of the red-attack stage of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) infestations are critical for forest management. The degree of spatial and temporal precision required for these estimates varies according to the management objectives and the nature of the infestation. This paper outlines the range...

Structural characteristics of late-sucessional pine-hardwood forest following recent infestation by southern pine beetle in the Georgia Piedmont, USA

Treesearch

Timothy B. Harrington; Mingguang Xu; M. Boyd Edwards

2000-01-01

At Murder Creek Research Natural Area, Georgia, USA, we compared structural characteristics of late-successional pine-hardwood stands two to three years after infestation by southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman) to those of adjacent noninfested stands. Death of up to eight Pinus taeda L. and P. echinata...

Using a GIS-based spot growth model and visual simulator to evaluate the effects of silvicultural treatments on southern pine beetle-infested stands

Treesearch

Chiao-Ying Chou; Roy L. Hedden; Bo Song; Thomas M. Williams

2013-01-01

Many models are available for simulating the probability of southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann) (SPB) infestation and outbreak dynamics. However, only a few models focused on the potential spatial SPB growth. Although the integrated pest management systems are currently adopted, SPB management is still challenging because of...

Southern pine beetle infestation probability mapping using weights of evidence analysis

Treesearch

Jason B. Grogan; David L. Kulhavy; James C. Kroll

2010-01-01

Weights of Evidence (WofE) spatial analysis was used to predict probability of southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) (SPB) infestation in Angelina, Nacogdoches, San Augustine and Shelby Co., TX. Thematic data derived from Landsat imagery (1974–2002 Landsat 1–7) were used. Data layers included: forest covertype, forest age, forest patch size...

The use of multispectral sensing techniques to detect ponderosa pines trees under stress from insects or diseases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heller, R. C.; Weber, F. P.; Zealear, K. A.

1970-01-01

The detection of stress induced by bark beetles in conifers is reviewed in two sections: (1) the analysis of very small scale aerial photographs taken by NASA's RB-57F aircraft on August 10, 1969, and (2) the analysis of multispectral imagery obtained by the optical-mechanical line scanner. Underexposure of all films taken from the RB-57 aircraft and inadequate flight coverage prevented drawing definitive conclusions regarding optimum scales and film combinations to detect the discolored infestations. Preprocessing of the scanner signals by both analog and digital computers improved the accuracy of target recognition. Selection and ranking of the best channels for signature recognition was the greatest contribution of digital processing. Improvements were made in separating hardwoods from conifers and old-kill pine trees from recent discolored trees and from healthy trees, but accuracy of detecting the green infested trees is still not acceptable on either the SPARC or thermal-contouring processor. From six years of experience in processing line scan data it is clear that the greatest gain in previsual detection of stress will occur when registered multispectral data from a single aperture or common instantaneous field of view scanner system can be collected and processed.

A new approach to determine the capture conditions of bark beetles in pheromone-baited traps

PubMed Central

Ozcan, Gonca Ece; Cicek, Osman; Enez, Korhan; Yildiz, Mustafa

2014-01-01

Forests form an organic unity with a great number of organic and inorganic components and tend to maintain the sustainability of their existing balance. However, some factors which adversely affect the balance of nature may interrupt this sustainability. The epidemic which is formed by bark beetles in their spreading region, due to various factors, changes the stability so much that interference is required. One of the most common methods used to monitor these beetles is pheromone-baited traps. The recognition of parameters, such as date (day/month/year), temperature and humidity, when bark beetles are captured in pheromone-baited traps, especially those used for monitoring will help to increase the trap efficiency on land and to develop an effective strategy for combating pests. In this study, an electronic control unit was added to pheromone-baited traps in order to obtain all of the above mentioned parameters. This unit operates with microcontrollers and data related to the parameters is saved in a storage unit. This is triggered by the beetle at the moment it is captured in the trap. A photovoltaic system was used to meet the energy needed for the system functioning and to complete the counting process in due time. PMID:26019592

Late Permian wood-borings reveal an intricate network of ecological relationships.

PubMed

Feng, Zhuo; Wang, Jun; Rößler, Ronny; Ślipiński, Adam; Labandeira, Conrad

2017-09-15

Beetles are the most diverse group of macroscopic organisms since the mid-Mesozoic. Much of beetle speciosity is attributable to myriad life habits, particularly diverse-feeding strategies involving interactions with plant substrates, such as wood. However, the life habits and early evolution of wood-boring beetles remain shrouded in mystery from a limited fossil record. Here we report new material from the upper Permian (Changhsingian Stage, ca. 254-252 million-years ago) of China documenting a microcosm of ecological associations involving a polyphagan wood-borer consuming cambial and wood tissues of the conifer Ningxiaites specialis. This earliest evidence for a component community of several trophically interacting taxa is frozen in time by exceptional preservation. The combination of an entry tunnel through bark, a cambium mother gallery, and up to 11 eggs placed in lateral niches-from which emerge multi-instar larval tunnels that consume cambium, wood and bark-is ecologically convergent with Early Cretaceous bark-beetle borings 120 million-years later.Numerous gaps remain in our knowledge of how groups of organisms interacted in ancient ecosystems. Here, Feng and colleagues describe a late Permian fossil wood-boring beetle microcosm, with the oldest known example of complex tunnel geometry, host tissue response, and the presence of fungi within.

Symbiosis and competition: complex interactions among beetles, fungi, and mites

Treesearch

Kier D. Klepzig; J.C. Moser; F.J. Lombardero; R.W. Hofstetter; M.P. Ayres

2001-01-01

Symbioses among bark beetles and their fungal and mite associates involve complex, multi-level interactions. Dendroctonus frontalis attacks and kills southern pines, introducing fungi into the tree. Ophiostoma minus may initially aid beetles in killing trees, but later this "bluestain" fungus becomes an antagonist,...

Biological Control of Southern Pine Beetle

Treesearch

Fred M. Stephen; C. Wayne Berisford

2011-01-01

Exotic invasive forest insects are frequently managed through classical biological control, which involves searching for, introducing, and establishing their exotic natural enemies. Biological control of native bark beetles, including the southern pine beetle (SPB), has been primarily attempted by conserving and manipulating their natural enemies. Knowledge of the role...

Release rates of methylcyclohexenone and verbenone from bubble cap and bead releasers under field conditions suitable for the management of bark beetles in California, Oregon, and Alaska.

Treesearch

Edward H. Holsten; Warren Webb; Patrick J. Shea; Richard A. Werner

2002-01-01

Devices releasing antiaggregation pheromones, such as MCH (3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one) and verbenone (4-methylene-6,6-dimethylbicyclo(3.1.1)hept-2-ene), are used experimentally to manipulate destructive populations of bark beetles. Two slow release devices, bubble caps attached to boles of trees and granular beads placed on the ground, were tested in forests of...

7 CFR 301.50-10 - Treatments and management method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... chapter to neutralize the pine shoot beetle. (b) Management method for pine bark products. The following... pine (P. sylvestris), red pine (P. resinosa), and jack pine (P. banksiana) trees. Pine bark products... following procedures are followed: (1) For pine bark products produced from trees felled during the period...

7 CFR 301.50-10 - Treatments and management method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... chapter to neutralize the pine shoot beetle. (b) Management method for pine bark products. The following... pine (P. sylvestris), red pine (P. resinosa), and jack pine (P. banksiana) trees. Pine bark products... following procedures are followed: (1) For pine bark products produced from trees felled during the period...

7 CFR 301.50-10 - Treatments and management method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... chapter to neutralize the pine shoot beetle. (b) Management method for pine bark products. The following... pine (P. sylvestris), red pine (P. resinosa), and jack pine (P. banksiana) trees. Pine bark products... following procedures are followed: (1) For pine bark products produced from trees felled during the period...

7 CFR 301.50-10 - Treatments and management method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... chapter to neutralize the pine shoot beetle. (b) Management method for pine bark products. The following... pine (P. sylvestris), red pine (P. resinosa), and jack pine (P. banksiana) trees. Pine bark products... following procedures are followed: (1) For pine bark products produced from trees felled during the period...

Climate change and ecosystem disruption: the health impacts of the North American Rocky Mountain pine beetle infestation.

PubMed

Embrey, Sally; Remais, Justin V; Hess, Jeremy

2012-05-01

In the United States and Canada, pine forest ecosystems are being dramatically affected by an unprecedented pine beetle infestation attributed to climate change. Both decreased frequency of extremely cold days and warmer winter temperature averages have led to an enphytotic devastating millions of acres of pine forest. The associated ecosystem disruption has the potential to cause significant health impacts from a range of exposures, including increased runoff and water turbidity, forest fires, and loss of ecosystem services. We review direct and indirect health impacts and possible prevention strategies. The pine beetle infestation highlights the need for public health to adopt an ecological, systems-oriented view to anticipate the full range of potential health impacts from climate change and facilitate effective planned adaptation.

Climate Change and Ecosystem Disruption: The Health Impacts of the North American Rocky Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation

PubMed Central

Remais, Justin V.; Hess, Jeremy

2012-01-01

In the United States and Canada, pine forest ecosystems are being dramatically affected by an unprecedented pine beetle infestation attributed to climate change. Both decreased frequency of extremely cold days and warmer winter temperature averages have led to an enphytotic devastating millions of acres of pine forest. The associated ecosystem disruption has the potential to cause significant health impacts from a range of exposures, including increased runoff and water turbidity, forest fires, and loss of ecosystem services. We review direct and indirect health impacts and possible prevention strategies. The pine beetle infestation highlights the need for public health to adopt an ecological, systems-oriented view to anticipate the full range of potential health impacts from climate change and facilitate effective planned adaptation. PMID:22420788

Detecting insect infestation with poly3-hexylthiophenethin thin film sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weerakoon, Kanchana; Li, Suiquing; Shu, Hungjen J.; Chin, Bryan A.

2009-05-01

The financial losses and destruction of crops due to insect infestation in the United States are estimated by the USDA to exceed 20 billion dollars annually. Much of these losses could be avoided by having a sensor that could effectively identify the early stages of insect infestation. However, traditional detection methods are time consuming, require trained personnel, and are not sufficient for early detection. Several previous research studies showed that emitting organic volatile compounds is a defensive mechanism activated by some plant species after being attacked by herbivores and parasites. Corn, cotton, pine, Brussels sprouts when attacked by Beet army worm, spider mites, bark beetles and caterpillars respectively, emits different blends of plant volatiles including γ-terpinene, α-pinene, p-cymene, farnesene, limonene and cis-hexenyl acetate, with a concentration of about 50 ppm. Therefore, monitoring for these volatile compounds may enable on-site early detection of insect infestations. In this study, a chemical resistor sensor to detect plant volatiles was designed and fabricated. The sensor platform consists of micro electronically fabricated interdigitated electrodes. On to this platform, a poly3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) thin film was deposited, using a spin coater at 8000 rpm for 30 seconds. The sensor was tested and found to be sensitive to a variety of plant volatiles, including γ-terpinene, α-pinene, p-cymene, farnesene, limonene and cis-hexenyl acetate at room temperature. These vapors interacted with the P3HT film causing an increase in the resistance of the sensor by more than one order of magnitude

A continuous mass-rearing technique for the southern pine beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Treesearch

J. Robert Bridges; John C. Moser

1983-01-01

Studying the southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis zimmermann, during endemic periods is difficult because beetle-infested trees are often hard to locate. This is especially true during the winter months. Studies that require a continuous supply of beetles are often jeopardized by a lack of beetles. During our studies of the...

Changes in transpiration and foliage growth in lodgepole pine trees following mountain pine beetle attack and mechanical girdling

Treesearch

Robert M. Hubbard; Charles C. Rhoades; Kelly Elder; Jose Negron

2013-01-01

The recent mountain pine beetle outbreak in North American lodgepole pine forests demonstrates the importance of insect related disturbances in changing forest structure and ecosystem processes. Phloem feeding by beetles disrupts transport of photosynthate from tree canopies and fungi introduced to the tree's vascular system by the bark beetles inhibit water...

Species composition and succession in yellow pine stands following southern pine beetle outbreaks in Tennessee-preliminary results

Treesearch

Christopher M. Oswalt; Sonja N. Oswalt; Jason R. Meade

2016-01-01

The southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) is a bark beetle that is native to the Southern United States, including Tennessee. The beetle is periodically epidemic and can cause high levels of mortalityduring epidemic years, particularly in dense or aging pine (Pinus spp.) stands. An epidemic outbreak of the Southern pine...

Relative abundance of the southern pine beetle associates in East Texas

Treesearch

John C. Moser; R. C. Thatcher; L. S. Pickard

1971-01-01

More than 90 species of insects were identified in bolts taken from east Texas loblolly pines infested by the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann and by Ips engraver beetles (Coleoptera: scolytidae). Seasonal abundance of the associates generally paralleled that of the southern pine beetle.

Bacteria influence mountain pine beetle brood development through interactions with symbiotic and antagonistic fungi: implications for climate-driven host range expansion.

PubMed

Therrien, Janet; Mason, Charles J; Cale, Jonathan A; Adams, Aaron; Aukema, Brian H; Currie, Cameron R; Raffa, Kenneth F; Erbilgin, Nadir

2015-10-01

Bark beetles are associated with diverse communities of symbionts. Although fungi have received significant attention, we know little about how bacteria, and in particular their interactions with fungi, affect bark beetle reproduction. We tested how interactions between four bacterial associates, two symbiotic fungi, and two opportunistic fungi affect performance of mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in host tissue. We compared beetle performance in phloem of its historical host, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), and its novel host recently accessed through warming climate, jack pine (Pinus banksiana). Overall, beetles produced more larvae, and established longer ovipositional and larval galleries in host tissue predominantly colonized by the symbiotic fungi, Grosmannia clavigera, or Ophiostoma montium than by the opportunistic colonizer Aspergillus and to a lesser extent, Trichoderma. This occurred in both historical and naïve hosts. Impacts of bacteria on beetle reproduction depended on particular fungus-bacterium combinations and host species. Some bacteria, e.g., Pseudomonas sp. D4-22 and Hy4T4 in P. contorta and Pseudomonas sp. Hy4T4 and Stenotrophomonas in P. banksiana, reduced antagonistic effects by Aspergillus and Trichoderma resulting in more larvae and longer ovipositional and larval galleries. These effects were not selective, as bacteria also reduced beneficial effects by symbionts in both host species. Interestingly, Bacillus enhanced antagonistic effects by Aspergillus in both hosts. These results demonstrate that bacteria influence brood development of bark beetles in host tissue. They also suggest that climate-driven range expansion of D. ponderosae through the boreal forest will not be significantly constrained by requirements of, or interactions among, its microbial associates.

Insecticide dip treatments to prevent walnut twig beetle colonization of black walnut logs

Treesearch

Jackson Audley; Adam Taylor; William E. Klingeman; Albert (Bud) Mayfield; Scott W. Myers

2016-01-01

The health, sustainability, and commercial viability of eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra) are currently under threat from thousand cankers disease. The disease is caused by an invasive bark beetle species, the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis), and its associated fungal pathogen (Geosmithia morbida...

Climate change and the outbreak ranges of two North American bark beetles

Treesearch

David W. Williams; Andrew M. Liebhold

2002-01-01

One expected effect of global climate change on insect populations is a shift in geographical distributions toward higher latitudes and higher elevations. Southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis and mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae undergo regional outbreaks that result in large-scale disturbances to pine forests in...

Cold Tolerance of Pityophthorus juglandis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) From Northern California

Treesearch

Andrea R. Hefty; Steven J. Seybold; Brian H. Aukema; Robert C. Venette

2017-01-01

Winter survivorship of insects is determined by a combination of physiological, behavioral, and microhabitat characteristics. We characterized the cold tolerance of the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman, a domestic alien invasive bark beetle that vectors a phytopathogenic fungus. The beetle and fungus cause thousand cankers...

Antagonisms, mutualisms and commensalisms affect outbreak dynamics of the southern pine beetle

Treesearch

Richard W. Hofstetter; James T. Cronin; Kier D. Klepzig; John C. Moser; Matthew P. Ayres

2005-01-01

Feedback from community interactions involving mutualisms are a rarely explored mechanism for generating complex population dynamics. We examined the effects of two linked mutualisms on the population dynamics of a beetle that exhibits outbreak dynamics. One mutualism involves an obligate association between the bark beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis...

Simulating coupled carbon and nitrogen dynamics following mountain pine beetle outbreaks in the western United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edburg, Steven L.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Lawrence, David M.

2011-01-01

Insect outbreaks are major ecosystem disturbances, affecting a similar area as forest fires annually across North America. Tree mortality caused by epidemics of bark beetles alters carbon cycling in the first several years following the disturbance by reducing stand-level primary production and increasing decomposition rates. The few studies of biogeochemical cycling following outbreaks have shown a range of impacts from small responses of net carbon fluxes in the first several years after a severe outbreak to large forest areas that are sources of carbon to the atmosphere for decades. To gain more understanding about causes of this range of responses,more » we used an ecosystem model to assess impacts of different bark beetle outbreak conditions on coupled carbon and nitrogen cycling. We modified the Community Land Model with prognostic carbon and nitrogen to include prescribed bark beetle outbreaks. We then compared control simulations (without a bark beetle outbreak) to simulations with various mortality severity, durations of outbreak, and snagfall dynamics to quantify the range of carbon flux responses and recovery rates of net ecosystem exchange to a range of realistic outbreak conditions. Prescribed mortality by beetles reduced leaf area and thus productivity. Gross primary productivity decreased by as much as 80% for a severe outbreak (95% mortality) and by 10% for less severe outbreaks (25% mortality). Soil mineral nitrogen dynamics (immobilization and plant uptake) were important in governing post-outbreak productivity, and were strongly modulated by carbon inputs to the soil from killed trees. Initial increases in heterotrophic respiration caused by a pulse of labile carbon from roots were followed by a slight reduction (from pre-snagfall reduced inputs), then a secondary increase (from inputs due to snagfall). Secondary increases in heterotrophic respiration were largest for simulated windthrow of snags after a prescribed snagfall delay period. Net ecosystem productivity recovered within 40 years for all simulations, with the largest increases in the first 10 years. Our simulations illustrate that, given the large variability in bark beetle outbreak conditions, a wide range of responses in carbon and nitrogen dynamics can occur. The fraction of trees killed, timing of snagfall, snagfall rate, and management decisions as to whether or not to remove snags for harvesting or for fire prevention will have a major impact on post-outbreak carbon fluxes up to 100 years following an outbreak.« less

Carbon stocks of trees killed by bark beetles and wildfire in the western United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Meddens, Arjan J.H.; Allen, Craig D.; Kolden, Crystal A.

2013-01-01

Forests are major components of the carbon cycle, and disturbances are important influences of forest carbon. Our objective was to contribute to the understanding of forest carbon cycling by quantifying the amount of carbon in trees killed by two disturbance types, fires and bark beetles, in the western United States in recent decades. We combined existing spatial data sets of forest biomass, burn severity, and beetle-caused tree mortality to estimate the amount of aboveground and belowground carbon in killed trees across the region. We found that during 1984-2010, fires killed trees that contained 5-11 Tg C year-1 and during 1997-2010, beetles killed trees that contained 2-24 Tg C year-1, with more trees killed since 2000 than in earlier periods. Over their periods of record, amounts of carbon in trees killed by fires and by beetle outbreaks were similar, and together these disturbances killed trees representing 9% of the total tree carbon in western forests, a similar amount to harvesting. Fires killed more trees in lower-elevation forest types such as Douglas-fir than higher-elevation forest types, whereas bark beetle outbreaks also killed trees in higher-elevation forest types such as lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce. Over 15% of the carbon in lodgepole pine and spruce/fir forest types was in trees killed by beetle outbreaks; other forest types had 5-10% of the carbon in killed trees. Our results document the importance of these natural disturbances in the carbon budget of the western United States.

Solar treatments for reducing survival of mountain pine beetle in infested ponderosa and lodgepole pine logs

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; Wayne A. Shepperd; Steve A. Mata; John B. Popp; Lance A. Asherin; Anna W. Schoettle; John M. Schmid; David A. Leatherman

2001-01-01

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of solar radiation for reducing survival of mountain pine beetle populations in infested logs. Ponderosa pine logs were used in experiments 1 and 2 and lodgepole pine logs were used in experiment 3. Experiment 1 comprised three treatments: (1) one-layer solar treatment without plastic sheeting and logs rotated one-...

Estimating probabilities of infestation and extent of damage by the roundheaded pine beetle in ponderosa pine in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico

Treesearch

Jose Negron

1997-01-01

Classification trees and linear regression analysis were used to build models to predict probabilities of infestation and amount of tree mortality in terms of basal area resulting from roundheaded pine beetle, Dendroctonus adjunctus Blandford, activity in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Laws., in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico. Classification trees were built for...

The role of wildfire, prescribed fire, and mountain pine beetle infestations on the population dynamics of black-backed woodpeckers in the Black Hills, South Dakota

Treesearch

Christopher T. Rota; Joshua J. Millspaugh; Mark A. Rumble; Chad P. Lehman; Dylan C. Kesler

2014-01-01

Wildfire and mountain pine beetle infestations are naturally occurring disturbances in western North American forests. Black-backed woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) are emblematic of the role these disturbances play in creating wildlife habitat, since they are strongly associated with recently-killed forests. However, management practices aimed at reducing the economic...

Effects of thinning on development of southern pine beetle infestations in old growth stands

Treesearch

Peter Turchin; James Davidson; Jane Leslie. Hayes

1999-01-01

A study was conducted to quantify the relationship between southern pine beetle infestation growth and the intertree spacing in old growth pine stands. The problem with extrapolating the results of previous studies to old growths tands is that it is unclear whether the same mechanism will operate in stands of older trees characterized by double the diameter (20-25 cm...

Metal fate and partitioning in soils under bark beetle-killed trees.

PubMed

Bearup, Lindsay A; Mikkelson, Kristin M; Wiley, Joseph F; Navarre-Sitchler, Alexis K; Maxwell, Reed M; Sharp, Jonathan O; McCray, John E

2014-10-15

Recent mountain pine beetle infestation in the Rocky Mountains of North America has killed an unprecedented acreage of pine forest, creating an opportunity to observe an active re-equilibration in response to widespread land cover perturbation. This work investigates metal mobility in beetle-impacted forests using parallel rainwater and acid leaches to estimate solid-liquid partitioning coefficients and a complete sequential extraction procedure to determine how metals are fractionated in soils under trees experiencing different phases of mortality. Geochemical model simulations analyzed in consideration with experimental data provide additional insight into the mechanisms controlling metal complexation. Metal and base-cation mobility consistently increased in soils under beetle-attacked trees relative to soil under healthy trees. Mobility increases were more pronounced on south facing slopes and more strongly correlated to pH under attacked trees than under healthy trees. Similarly, soil moisture was significantly higher under dead trees, related to the loss of transpiration and interception. Zinc and cadmium content increased in soils under dead trees relative to living trees. Cadmium increases occurred predominantly in the exchangeable fraction, indicating increased mobilization potential. Relative increases of zinc were greatest in the organic fraction, the only fraction where increases in copper were observed. Model results reveal that increased organic complexation, not changes in pH or base cation concentrations, can explain the observed differences in metal partitioning for zinc, nickel, cadmium, and copper. Predicted concentrations would be unlikely to impair human health or plant growth at these sites; however, higher exchangeable metals under beetle-killed trees relative to healthy trees suggest a possible decline in riverine ecosystem health and water quality in areas already approaching criteria limits and drinking water standards. Impairment of water quality in important headwater streams from the increased potential for metal mobilization and storage will continue to change as beetle-killed trees decompose and forests begin to recover. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping Global Potential Risk of Mango Sudden Decline Disease Caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata.

PubMed

Galdino, Tarcísio Visintin da Silva; Kumar, Sunil; Oliveira, Leonardo S S; Alfenas, Acelino C; Neven, Lisa G; Al-Sadi, Abdullah M; Picanço, Marcelo C

2016-01-01

The Mango Sudden Decline (MSD), also referred to as Mango Wilt, is an important disease of mango in Brazil, Oman and Pakistan. This fungus is mainly disseminated by the mango bark beetle, Hypocryphalus mangiferae (Stebbing), by infected plant material, and the infested soils where it is able to survive for long periods. The best way to avoid losses due to MSD is to prevent its establishment in mango production areas. Our objectives in this study were to: (1) predict the global potential distribution of MSD, (2) identify the mango growing areas that are under potential risk of MSD establishment, and (3) identify climatic factors associated with MSD distribution. Occurrence records were collected from Brazil, Oman and Pakistan where the disease is currently known to occur in mango. We used the correlative maximum entropy based model (MaxEnt) algorithm to assess the global potential distribution of MSD. The MaxEnt model predicted suitable areas in countries where the disease does not already occur in mango, but where mango is grown. Among these areas are the largest mango producers in the world including India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Mexico. The mean annual temperature, precipitation of coldest quarter, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation of driest month variables contributed most to the potential distribution of MSD disease. The mango bark beetle vector is known to occur beyond the locations where MSD currently exists and where the model predicted suitable areas, thus showing a high likelihood for disease establishment in areas predicted by our model. Our study is the first to map the potential risk of MSD establishment on a global scale. This information can be used in designing strategies to prevent introduction and establishment of MSD disease, and in preparation of efficient pest risk assessments and monitoring programs.

Mapping Global Potential Risk of Mango Sudden Decline Disease Caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata

PubMed Central

Oliveira, Leonardo S. S.; Alfenas, Acelino C.; Neven, Lisa G.; Al-Sadi, Abdullah M.

2016-01-01

The Mango Sudden Decline (MSD), also referred to as Mango Wilt, is an important disease of mango in Brazil, Oman and Pakistan. This fungus is mainly disseminated by the mango bark beetle, Hypocryphalus mangiferae (Stebbing), by infected plant material, and the infested soils where it is able to survive for long periods. The best way to avoid losses due to MSD is to prevent its establishment in mango production areas. Our objectives in this study were to: (1) predict the global potential distribution of MSD, (2) identify the mango growing areas that are under potential risk of MSD establishment, and (3) identify climatic factors associated with MSD distribution. Occurrence records were collected from Brazil, Oman and Pakistan where the disease is currently known to occur in mango. We used the correlative maximum entropy based model (MaxEnt) algorithm to assess the global potential distribution of MSD. The MaxEnt model predicted suitable areas in countries where the disease does not already occur in mango, but where mango is grown. Among these areas are the largest mango producers in the world including India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Mexico. The mean annual temperature, precipitation of coldest quarter, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation of driest month variables contributed most to the potential distribution of MSD disease. The mango bark beetle vector is known to occur beyond the locations where MSD currently exists and where the model predicted suitable areas, thus showing a high likelihood for disease establishment in areas predicted by our model. Our study is the first to map the potential risk of MSD establishment on a global scale. This information can be used in designing strategies to prevent introduction and establishment of MSD disease, and in preparation of efficient pest risk assessments and monitoring programs. PMID:27415625

Prescribed fire effects on wintering, bark-foraging birds in northern Arizona

Treesearch

Theresa L. Pope; William M. Block; Paul Beier

2009-01-01

We examined effects of prescribed fire on 3 wintering, bark-foraging birds, hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus), pygmy nuthatches (Sitta pygmaea), and white-breasted nuthatches (S. carolinensis), in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of northern Arizona, USA. During winters of 2004-2006, we compared bird density, foraging behavior, and bark beetle activity...

A Common Fungal Associate of the Spruce Bark Beetle Metabolizes the Stilbene Defenses of Norway Spruce1[C][W][OA

PubMed Central

Hammerbacher, Almuth; Schmidt, Axel; Wadke, Namita; Wright, Louwrance P.; Schneider, Bernd; Bohlmann, Joerg; Brand, Willi A.; Fenning, Trevor M.; Gershenzon, Jonathan; Paetz, Christian

2013-01-01

Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests suffer periodic fatal attacks by the bark beetle Ips typographus and its fungal associate, Ceratocystis polonica. Norway spruce protects itself against fungal and bark beetle invasion by the production of terpenoid resins, but it is unclear whether resins or other defenses are effective against the fungus. We investigated stilbenes, a group of phenolic compounds found in Norway spruce bark with a diaryl-ethene skeleton with known antifungal properties. During C. polonica infection, stilbene biosynthesis was up-regulated, as evidenced by elevated transcript levels of stilbene synthase genes. However, stilbene concentrations actually declined during infection, and this was due to fungal metabolism. C. polonica converted stilbenes to ring-opened, deglycosylated, and dimeric products. Chromatographic separation of C. polonica protein extracts confirmed that these metabolites arose from specific fungal enzyme activities. Comparison of C. polonica strains showed that rapid conversion of host phenolics is associated with higher virulence. C. polonica is so well adapted to its host’s chemical defenses that it is even able to use host phenolic compounds as its sole carbon source. PMID:23729780

Trees wanted--dead or alive! Host selection and population dynamics in tree-killing bark beetles.

PubMed

Kausrud, Kyrre L; Grégoire, Jean-Claude; Skarpaas, Olav; Erbilgin, Nadir; Gilbert, Marius; Økland, Bjørn; Stenseth, Nils Chr

2011-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) feed and breed in dead or severely weakened host trees. When their population densities are high, some species aggregate on healthy host trees so that their defences may be exhausted and the inner bark successfully colonized, killing the tree in the process. Here we investigate under what conditions participating with unrelated conspecifics in risky mass attacks on living trees is an adaptive strategy, and what this can tell us about bark beetle outbreak dynamics. We find that the outcome of individual host selection may deviate from the ideal free distribution in a way that facilitates the emergence of tree-killing (aggressive) behavior, and that any heritability on traits governing aggressiveness seems likely to exist in a state of flux or cycles consistent with variability observed in natural populations. This may have implications for how economically and ecologically important species respond to environmental changes in climate and landscape (forest) structure. The population dynamics emerging from individual behavior are complex, capable of switching between "endemic" and "epidemic" regimes spontaneously or following changes in host availability or resistance. Model predictions are compared to empirical observations, and we identify some factors determining the occurrence and self-limitation of epidemics.

Comparison of protein profiles of beech bark disease-resistant or beech bark disease-susceptible American beech

Treesearch

Mary E. Mason; Marek Krasowski; Judy Loo; Jennifer. Koch

2011-01-01

Proteomic analysis of beech bark proteins from trees resistant and susceptible to beech bark disease (BBD) was conducted. Sixteen trees from eight geographically isolated stands, 10 resistant (healthy) and 6 susceptible (diseased/infested) trees, were studied. The genetic complexity of the sample unit, the sampling across a wide geographic area, and the complexity of...

PCR-Based Gut Content Analysis to Detect Predation of Eriococcus ironsidei (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) by Coccinellidae Species in Macadamia Nut Orchards in Hawaii.

PubMed

Gutierrez-Coarite, Rosemary; Yoneishi, Nicole M; Pulakkatu-Thodi, Ishakh; Mollinedo, Javier; Calla, Bernarda; Wright, Mark G; Geib, Scott M

2018-04-02

Macadamia felted coccid, Eriococcus ironsidei (Williams) (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) was first found infesting macadamia trees in the island of Hawaii in 2005. Macadamia felted coccid infests all above-ground parts of trees to feed and reproduce. Their feeding activity distorts and stunts new growth which causes yellow spotting on older leaves, and when population densities become high, branch dieback occurs. Different predatory beetles have been observed in macadamia nut trees infested by E. ironsidei, the most abundant were Halmus chalybeus, Curinus coeruleus, Scymnodes lividigaster, Rhyzobius forestieri, and Sticholotis ruficeps. To verify predation of E. ironsidei by these beetles, a molecular assay was developed utilizing species-specific primers to determine presence in gut content of predators. Using these primers for PCR analysis, wild predator beetles were screened for the presence of E. ironsidei DNA. Analysis of beetles collected from macadamia orchards revealed predation by H. chalybeus, C. coeruleus, S. lividigaster, R. forestieri, and S. ruficeps on E. ironsidei. This study demonstrates that these beetles may play an important role in controlling the population of E. ironsidei, and these predators may be useful as biocontrol agents for E. ironsidei.

Identifying Decision-Makers’ Science Needs for Adaptation to Climate-Related Impacts on Forest Ecosystem Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, E.; Lukas, J.

2009-12-01

Through the Western Water Assessment RISA program, we are conducting a research project that will produce science synthesis information to help local, state, and federal decision-makers in Colorado and Wyoming develop adaptation strategies to deal with climate-related threats to forest ecosystem services, in particular bark beetle infestations and stand-replacing wildfires. We begin by using the problem orientation framework, a policy sciences methodology, to understand how decision-makers can most effectively address policy problems that threaten the attainment of socially accepted goals. By applying this framework to the challenges facing decision-makers, we more accurately identify specific areas where scientific research can improve decision-making. WWA researchers will next begin to connect decision-makers with relevant scientific literature and identify specific areas of future scientific research that will be most effective at addressing their needs.

Can spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirky) pheromone trap catches or stand conditions predict Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) tree mortality in Colorado?

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; John B. Popp

2017-01-01

1) Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) can cause extensive tree mortality in forests dominated by their hosts. Among these, the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) is one of the most important beetles in western North America causing Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) tree mortality. 2) Although pheromone traps with attractants are commonly used...

Evaluating Pyemotes dryas (Vitzthum 1923)(Acari: Pyemotidae) as a parasite of the southern pine beetle

Treesearch

John C. Moser; B. Kielczewski; J. Wisniewski; S. Balazy

1978-01-01

Populations of Pyemotes dryas (Vitzthum 1923) from Poland were bioassayed for potential use in the biological control of the southern pine beetle in the United States. The mite apparently rides and attacks a wide range of European bark beetles that attack conifers and readily consumes brood of the southern pine beetle. However, it is not phoretic on...

Southern Pine Beetle Information System (SPBIS)

Treesearch

Valli Peacher

2011-01-01

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is the most destructive forest insect in the South. The SPB attacks all species of southern pine, but loblolly and shortleaf are most susceptible. The Southern Pine Beetle Information System (SPBIS) is the computerized database used by the national forests in the Southern Region for tracking individual southern pine beetle infestations....

Mountain pine beetle population sampling: inferences from Lindgren pheromone traps and tree emergence cages

Treesearch

Barbara J. Bentz

2006-01-01

Lindgren pheromone traps baited with a mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)) lure were deployed for three consecutive years in lodgepole pine stands in central Idaho. Mountain pine beetle emergence was also monitored each year using cages on infested trees. Distributions of beetles caught in...

Armillaria mellea and mortality of beech affected by beech bark disease

Treesearch

Philip M. Wargo

1983-01-01

The role of Armillaria mellea in the mortality of beech trees affected by beech bark disease was determined by excavating root systems of beech trees infested by beech scale, Cryptococcus fagisuga, or also infected by the bark fungus, Nectria coccinea var. faginata. Only trees infected by

Nitrogen cycling following mountain pine beetle disturbance in lodgepole pine forests of Greater Yellowstone

Treesearch

Jacob M. Griffin; Monica G. Turner; Martin Simard

2011-01-01

Widespread bark beetle outbreaks are currently affecting multiple conifer forest types throughout western North America, yet many ecosystem-level consequences of this disturbance are poorly understood. We quantified the effect of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak on nitrogen (N) cycling through litter, soil, and vegetation in...

Use of semiochemicals of secondary bark beetles to disrupt spruce beetle attraction and survival in Alaska.

Treesearch

Richard A. Werner; Edward H. Holsten

2002-01-01

Field experiments using baited multiple-funnel traps and baited felled trees were conducted to test the hypothesis that semiochemicals from secondary species of scolytids could be used to disrupt spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) attraction. Semiochemicals from three secondary species of scolytids, (Ips perturbatus...

Ips Bark Beetles in the South

Treesearch

Michael D. Conner; Robert C. Wilkinson

1983-01-01

Ips beetles usually attack weakened, dying, or recently felled trees and fresh logging debris. Large numbers Ips may build up when natural events such as lightning storms, ice storms, tornadoes, wildfires, and droughts create large amounts of pine suitable for the breeding of these beetles. Ips populations may also build up following forestry activities, such as...

Lightning Strike Simula tion for Studying Southern Pine Bark and Engraver Beetle Attacks

Treesearch

Mitchel C. Miller

1983-01-01

Endemic populations of the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm.) and Ips spp. attacked loblolly pines (Pinus taeda L.) on which lightning strikes were simulated with detonating cord in the field. Southern pine beetles were reared in successive generations in these trees from fall 1981 through spring 1982; only

Landscape dynamics of mountain pine beetles

Treesearch

John E. Lundquist; Robin M. Reich

2014-01-01

The magnitude and urgency of current mountain pine beetle outbreaks in the western United States and Canada have resulted in numerous studies of the dynamics and impacts of these insects in forested ecosystems. This paper reviews some of the aspects of the spatial dynamics and landscape ecology of this bark beetle. Landscape heterogeneity influences dispersal patterns...

Interactions among the mountain pine beetle, fires, and fuels

Treesearch

Michael J. Jenkins; Justin B. Runyon; Christopher J. Fettig; Wesley G. Page; Barbara J. Bentz

2014-01-01

Bark beetle outbreaks and wildfires are principal drivers of change in western North American forests, and both have increased in severity and extent in recent years. These two agents of disturbance interact in complex ways to shape forest structure and composition. For example, mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, epidemics alter forest fuels with...

Mountain pine beetle infestation: GCxGCTOFMS and GC-MS of lodgepole pine (pinus contorta) acetone extractives

Treesearch

Roderquita K. Moore; Michael Leitch; Erick Arellano-ruiz; Jonathon Smaglick; Doreen Mann

2015-01-01

The Rocky Mountains and western U.S. forests are impacted by the infestation of mountain pine beetles (MPB). MPB outbreak is killing pine and spruce trees at an alarming rate. These trees present a fuel build-up in the forest, which can result in catastrophic wildland fires. MPB carry blue-stain fungi from the genus Ophiostoma and transmit infection by burrowing into...

An analytical method to assess spruce beetle impacts on white spruce resources, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.

Treesearch

Willem W.S. van Hees

1992-01-01

Forest inventory data collected in 1987 fTom sample plots established on the Kenai Peninsula were analyzed to provide point-in-time estimates of the trend and current status of a spruce beetle infestation. Ground plots were categorized by stage of infestation. Estimates of numbers of live and dead white spruce trees, cubic-foot volume in those trees, and areal extent...

Geosmithia associated with bark beetles and woodborers in the western USA: taxonomic diversity and vector specificity.

PubMed

Kolařík, Miroslav; Hulcr, Jiri; Tisserat, Ned; De Beer, Wilhelm; Kostovčík, Martin; Kolaříková, Zuzana; Seybold, Steven J; Rizzo, David M

2017-01-01

Fungi in the genus Geosmithia (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) are frequent associates of bark beetles and woodborers that colonize hardwood and coniferous trees. One species, Geosmithia morbida, is an economically damaging invasive species. The authors surveyed the Geosmithia species of California and Colorado, USA, to (i) provide baseline data on taxonomy of Geosmithia and beetle vector specificity across the western USA; (ii) investigate the subcortical beetle fauna for alternative vectors of the invasive G. morbida; and (iii) interpret the community composition of this region within the emerging global biogeography of Geosmithia. Geosmithia was detected in 87% of 126 beetle samples obtained from 39 plant species. Twenty-nine species of Geosmithia were distinguished, of which 13 may be new species. Bark beetles from hardwoods, Cupressus, and Sequoia appear to be regular vectors, with Geosmithia present in all beetle gallery systems examined. Other subcortical insects appear to vector Geosmithia at lower frequencies. Overall, most Geosmithia have a distinct level of vector specificity (mostly high, sometimes low) enabling their separation to generalists and specialists. Plant pathogenic Geosmithia morbida was not found in association with any other beetle besides Pityophthorus juglandis. However, four additional Geosmithia species were found in P. juglandis galleries. When integrated with recent data from other continents, a global pattern of Geosmithia distribution across continents, latitudes, and vectors is emerging: of the 29 Geosmithia species found in the western USA, 12 have not been reported outside of the USA. The most frequently encountered species with the widest global distribution also had the broadest range of beetle vectors. Several Geosmithia spp. with very narrow vector ranges in Europe exhibited the similar degree of specialization in the USA. Such strong canalization in association could reflect an ancient origin of each individual association, or a recent origin and a subsequent diversification in North America.

The Role of Wildfire, Prescribed Fire, and Mountain Pine Beetle Infestations on the Population Dynamics of Black-Backed Woodpeckers in the Black Hills, South Dakota

PubMed Central

Rota, Christopher T.; Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Rumble, Mark A.; Lehman, Chad P.; Kesler, Dylan C.

2014-01-01

Wildfire and mountain pine beetle infestations are naturally occurring disturbances in western North American forests. Black-backed woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) are emblematic of the role these disturbances play in creating wildlife habitat, since they are strongly associated with recently-killed forests. However, management practices aimed at reducing the economic impact of natural disturbances can result in habitat loss for this species. Although black-backed woodpeckers occupy habitats created by wildfire, prescribed fire, and mountain pine beetle infestations, the relative value of these habitats remains unknown. We studied habitat-specific adult and juvenile survival probabilities and reproductive rates between April 2008 and August 2012 in the Black Hills, South Dakota. We estimated habitat-specific adult and juvenile survival probability with Bayesian multi-state models and habitat-specific reproductive success with Bayesian nest survival models. We calculated asymptotic population growth rates from estimated demographic rates with matrix projection models. Adult and juvenile survival and nest success were highest in habitat created by summer wildfire, intermediate in MPB infestations, and lowest in habitat created by fall prescribed fire. Mean posterior distributions of population growth rates indicated growing populations in habitat created by summer wildfire and declining populations in fall prescribed fire and mountain pine beetle infestations. Our finding that population growth rates were positive only in habitat created by summer wildfire underscores the need to maintain early post-wildfire habitat across the landscape. The lower growth rates in fall prescribed fire and MPB infestations may be attributed to differences in predator communities and food resources relative to summer wildfire. PMID:24736502

The role of wildfire, prescribed fire, and mountain pine beetle infestations on the population dynamics of black-backed woodpeckers in the black hills, South Dakota.

PubMed

Rota, Christopher T; Millspaugh, Joshua J; Rumble, Mark A; Lehman, Chad P; Kesler, Dylan C

2014-01-01

Wildfire and mountain pine beetle infestations are naturally occurring disturbances in western North American forests. Black-backed woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) are emblematic of the role these disturbances play in creating wildlife habitat, since they are strongly associated with recently-killed forests. However, management practices aimed at reducing the economic impact of natural disturbances can result in habitat loss for this species. Although black-backed woodpeckers occupy habitats created by wildfire, prescribed fire, and mountain pine beetle infestations, the relative value of these habitats remains unknown. We studied habitat-specific adult and juvenile survival probabilities and reproductive rates between April 2008 and August 2012 in the Black Hills, South Dakota. We estimated habitat-specific adult and juvenile survival probability with Bayesian multi-state models and habitat-specific reproductive success with Bayesian nest survival models. We calculated asymptotic population growth rates from estimated demographic rates with matrix projection models. Adult and juvenile survival and nest success were highest in habitat created by summer wildfire, intermediate in MPB infestations, and lowest in habitat created by fall prescribed fire. Mean posterior distributions of population growth rates indicated growing populations in habitat created by summer wildfire and declining populations in fall prescribed fire and mountain pine beetle infestations. Our finding that population growth rates were positive only in habitat created by summer wildfire underscores the need to maintain early post-wildfire habitat across the landscape. The lower growth rates in fall prescribed fire and MPB infestations may be attributed to differences in predator communities and food resources relative to summer wildfire.

Pseudoparasitus thatcheri n. sp. (Acarina: Dermanyssidae, Laelapinae) associated with southern pine beetles

Treesearch

Preston E. Hunter; John C. Moser

1978-01-01

Adults and nymphal stages of Pseudoparasitus thatcheri n. sp., a mite associated with beetles occurring under bark of southern pine trees in Louisiana are described. Generic placement of the species is discussed

Complex emergence patterns in a bark beetle predator

Treesearch

John D. Reeve

2000-01-01

The emergence pattern of Thanasimus dubius (F.) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), a common predator of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), was studied under field conditions across different seasons. A simple statistical model was then developed...

Effects on eastern larch beetle of its natural attractant and synthetic pheromones in Alaska.

Treesearch

Richard A. Werner; Malcom M. Furniss; Thomas. Ward

1981-01-01

Traps baited with Seudenol + a-pinene caught 87 percent more eastern larch beetles, Dendroctonus simplex LeConte, than did tamarack logs infested with females. Male beetles responded to the synthetic attractant in greater numbers than females. Male beetles were not attracted to frontalin, a principal attractant of the closely related Douglas-fir...

The push–pull tactic for mitigation of mountain pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) damage in lodgepole and whitebark pines

Treesearch

Nancy E. Gillette; Constance J. Mehmel; Sylvia R. Mori; Jeffrey N. Webster; David L. Wood; Nadir Erbilgin; Donald R. Owen

2012-01-01

In an attempt to improve semiochemical-based treatments for protecting forest stands from bark beetle attack, we compared push-pull versus push-only tactics for protecting lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) stands from attack by mountain pine beetle (...

Evaluation of funnel traps for estimating tree mortality and associated population phase of spruce beetle in Utah

Treesearch

E. Matthew Hansen; Barbara J. Bentz; A. Steven Munson; James C. Vandygriff; David L. Turner

2006-01-01

Although funnel traps are routinely used to manage bark beetles, little is known regarding the relationship between trap captures of spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) and mortality of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) within a 10 ha block of the trap. Using recursive partitioning tree analyses, rules...

Western pine beetle populations in Arizona and California differ in the composition of their aggregation pheromones

Treesearch

Deepa S. Pureswaran; Richard W. Hofstetter; Brian T. Sullivan; Amanda M. Grady; Cavell Brownie

2016-01-01

When related species coexist, selection pressure should favor evolution of species recognition mechanisms to prevent interspecific pairing and wasteful reproductive encounters. We investigated the potential role of pheromone and acoustic signals in species recognition between two species of tree-killing bark beetles, the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis...

Comparison of naturally and synthetically baited spruce beetle trapping systems in the central Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

E. Matthew Hansen; Jim C. Vandygriff; Robert J. Cain; David Wakarchuk

2006-01-01

We compared naturally baited trapping systems to synthetically baited funnel traps and fallen trap trees for suppressing preoutbreak spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby, populations. Lures for the traps were fresh spruce (Picea spp.) bolts or bark sections, augmented by adding female spruce beetles to create secondary attraction. In 2003, we...

Acetophenone superior to verbenone for reducing attraction of western pine beetle Dendroctonus brevicomis to its aggregation pheromone

Treesearch

Nadir Erbilgin; Nancy E. Gillette; Donald R. Owen; Sylvia R. Mori; Andrew S. Nelson; Fabian C.C. Uzoh; David L. Wood

2008-01-01

The western pine beetle Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) is one of the most damaging insect pests of ponderosa pines Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex P. & C. Lawson in Western U.S.A. We compared the effect of verbenone, a well known bark beetle anti-aggregation pheromone, with that...

Elevational shifts in thermal suitability for mountain pine beetle population growth in a changing climate

Treesearch

Barbara J. Bentz; Jacob P. Duncan; James A. Powell

2016-01-01

Future forests are being shaped by changing climate and disturbances. Climate change is causing large-scale forest declines globally, in addition to distributional shifts of many tree species. Because environmental cues dictate insect seasonality and population success, climate change is also influencing tree-killing bark beetles. The mountain pine beetle,...

Volatile and within-needle terpene changes to Douglas-fir trees associated with Douglas-fir beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) attack

Treesearch

A. D. Giunta; Justin Runyon; M. J. Jenkins; M. Teich

2016-01-01

Mass attack by tree-killing bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) brings about large chemical changes in host trees that can have important ecological consequences. For example, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) attack increases emission of terpenes by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.), affecting foliage flammability with...

Trees Wanted—Dead or Alive! Host Selection and Population Dynamics in Tree-Killing Bark Beetles

PubMed Central

Kausrud, Kyrre L.; Grégoire, Jean-Claude; Skarpaas, Olav; Erbilgin, Nadir; Gilbert, Marius; Økland, Bjørn; Stenseth, Nils Chr.

2011-01-01

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) feed and breed in dead or severely weakened host trees. When their population densities are high, some species aggregate on healthy host trees so that their defences may be exhausted and the inner bark successfully colonized, killing the tree in the process. Here we investigate under what conditions participating with unrelated conspecifics in risky mass attacks on living trees is an adaptive strategy, and what this can tell us about bark beetle outbreak dynamics. We find that the outcome of individual host selection may deviate from the ideal free distribution in a way that facilitates the emergence of tree-killing (aggressive) behavior, and that any heritability on traits governing aggressiveness seems likely to exist in a state of flux or cycles consistent with variability observed in natural populations. This may have implications for how economically and ecologically important species respond to environmental changes in climate and landscape (forest) structure. The population dynamics emerging from individual behavior are complex, capable of switching between “endemic” and “epidemic” regimes spontaneously or following changes in host availability or resistance. Model predictions are compared to empirical observations, and we identify some factors determining the occurrence and self-limitation of epidemics. PMID:21647433

7 CFR 319.75-4 - Treatments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Khapra Beetle § 319.75-4 Treatments. A restricted... with part 305 of this chapter for possible infestation with khapra beetle in accordance with part 305...

7 CFR 319.75-4 - Treatments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Khapra Beetle § 319.75-4 Treatments. A restricted... with part 305 of this chapter for possible infestation with khapra beetle in accordance with part 305...

7 CFR 319.75-4 - Treatments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Khapra Beetle § 319.75-4 Treatments. A restricted... with part 305 of this chapter for possible infestation with khapra beetle in accordance with part 305...

7 CFR 319.75-4 - Treatments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Khapra Beetle § 319.75-4 Treatments. A restricted... with part 305 of this chapter for possible infestation with khapra beetle in accordance with part 305...

Contact toxicity of 17 insecticides applied topically to adult bark beetles

Treesearch

Robert L. Lyon

1971-01-01

Thirteen insecticides were tested against Ips paraconfusus Lanier, and six against the western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis Lec.). The ranking of toxicity at LD90 by topical application to I. paraconfusus was: SD 3450 > endosulfan > malathion > lindane > phorate >...

Population densities and tree diameter effects associated with verbenone treatments to reduce mountain pine beetle-caused mortality of lodgepole pine

Treesearch

R.A. Progar; D.C. Blackford; D.R. Cluck; S. Costello; L.B. Dunning; T. Eager; C.L. Jorgensen; A.S. Munson; B. Steed; M.J. Rinella

2013-01-01

Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: CurcuIionidae: Scolytinae), is among the primary causes of mature lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta variety latifolia mortality. Verbenone is the only antiaggregant semiochemical commercially available for reducing mountain pine beetle infestation of...

Response of the brown spruce longhorn beetle, Tetropium fuscum (Fabr.) to host volatiles

Treesearch

Jon Sweeney; Peter de Groot; Linda MacDonald

2003-01-01

Studies were undertaken to develop an attractant and trap for survey and detection of the brown spruce longhorn beetle, Tetropium fuscum (Fabr.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a European beetle recently found established in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Cortical volatiles of T. fuscum-infested red spruce, Picea rubens Sarg...

Overshoot in Leaf Development of Ponderosa Pine in Wet Years Leads to Bark Beetle Outbreaks on Fine-Textured Soils in Drier Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterman, W. L.; Waring, R. H.

2014-12-01

Frequent outbreaks of insects and diseases have been recorded in forests of western North America during the past few decades, but the distribution of these outbreaks has not been uniform. In some cases, recent climatic variations along with the age and density of forests may explain some spatial variation. Forest managers and policy makers would benefit if areas prone to disturbance could be recognized so that mitigating actions could be taken. In this paper, we used two ponderosa pine-dominated sites in western Montana, U.S.A. to apply a modelling approach that couples information from remote sensing, soil surveys, and local weather stations to assess where bark beetle outbreaks might first occur and why. There was a slight downward trend in precipitation for both sites over the period between 1998 and 2010, and, interannual variability was high. Some years showed large increases followed by sharp decreases. Both sites had similar topography and fire histories, but bark beetle activity occurred earlier and more severely on one site than the other. The initial canopy density of the two sites was also similar, with leaf area indices derived via Landsat imagery ranging between 1.6- 2.0 m2 m-2. We wondered if the difference in bark beetle activity might be related to soils that were fine-textured at site I and coarse-textured at site II. We applied a process-based stand growth model (3-PG) to analyze the data and evaluate the hypotheses.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of recent mountain pine beetle and western spruce budworm outbreaks across the Pacific Northwest Region, USA

Treesearch

Garrett W. Meigs; Robert E. Kennedy; Andrew N. Gray; Matthew J. Gregory

2015-01-01

Across the western US, the two most prevalent native forest insect pests are mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonus ponderosae; a bark beetle) and western spruce budworm (WSB; Choristoneura freemani; a defoliator). MPB outbreaks have received more forest management attention than WSB outbreaks, but studies to date have not compared their cumulative mortality impacts...

Climate and weather influences on spatial temporal patterns of mountain pine beetle populations in Washington and Oregon

Treesearch

Haiganoush K. Preisler; Jeffrey A. Hicke; Alan A. Ager; Jane L. Hayes

2012-01-01

Widespread outbreaks of mountain pine beetle in North America have drawn the attention of scientists, forest managers, and the public. There is strong evidence that climate change has contributed to the extent and severity of recent outbreaks. Scientists are interested in quantifying relationships between bark beetle population dynamics and trends in climate. Process...

Transfer of a Pyemotes egg parastie phoretic on western pine bark beetles to the southern pine beetle

Treesearch

John C. Moser

1981-01-01

Pyemotes giganticus has the widest phoretic latitude of any known Pyemotes probably riding all scolytids and at least one tenebrionid beetle associate. The female heteromorph is not phoretic. The feeding latitude is narrow; the mite is known to feed only on scolytid eggs, and then reluctantly. Parasitism of a natural host,

The resin composition of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) attacked by the roundheaded pine beetle (Dendroctonus adjunctus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Treesearch

Melissa J. Fischer; Kristen M. Waring; Richard W. Hofstetter; Thomas E. Kolb

2008-01-01

Dendroctonus adjunctus is an aggressive bark beetle species that attacks several species of pine throughout its range from southern Utah and Colorado south to Guatemala. A current outbreak of D. adjunctus provided a unique opportunity to study the relationship between this beetle and pine resin chemistry in northern Arizona. We...

Area-wide application of verbenone-releasing flakes reduces mortality of whitebark pine Pinus albicaulis caused by the mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae

Treesearch

Nancy E. Gillette; E. Matthew Hansen; Constance J. Mehmel; Sylvia R. Mori; Jeffrey N. Webster; Nadir Erbilgin; David L. Wood

2012-01-01

DISRUPT Micro-Flake Verbenone Bark Beetle Anti-Aggregant flakes (Hercon Environmental, Inc., Emigsville, Pennsylvania) were applied in two large-scale tests to assess their efficacy for protecting whitebark pine Pinus albicaulis Engelm. from attack by mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) (MPB). At two locations, five...

The Pattern and Range of Movement of a Checkered Beetle Predator Relative to its Bark Beetle Prey

Treesearch

James T. Cronin; John D. Reeve; Richard Wilkens; Peter Turchin

2000-01-01

Theoretical studies of predator-prey population dynamics have increasingly centered on the role of space and the movement of organisms. Yet empirical studies have been slow to follow suit. Herein, we quantified the long range movement of a checkered beetle Thanasimus dublus, which is an important predator of a pernicious forest pest the southern...

Flight periodicity of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Colorado, U.S.A

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; Willis C. Schaupp; Lee Pederson

2011-01-01

There are about 500 species of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in the United States (Wood 1982). A number of them are important disturbance agents in forested ecosystems, occasionally creating large tracts of dead trees. One eruptive species is the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, which utilizes Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga...

Attraction of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, to pheromone components of the western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in an allopatric zone

Treesearch

Deepa S. Pureswaran; Richard W. Hofstetter; Brian T. Sullivan

2008-01-01

Subtle differences in pheromone components of sympatric species should be attractive only to the producing species and unattractive or repellent to the nonproducing species, and thereby maintain reproductive isolation and reduce competition between species. Bark beetles Dendroctonus brevicomis and D. frontalis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are known to...

Impacts of beetle-induced forest mortality on carbon, water and nutrient cycling in the Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

Elise Pendall; Brent Ewers; Urszula Norton; Paul Brooks; W. J. Massman; Holly Barnard; David Reed; Tim Aston; John Frank

2010-01-01

Conifer forests across western North America are undergoing a widespread mortality event mediated by an epidemic outbreak of bark beetles of the genus Dendroctonus and their associated bluestain fungi (Ophiostoma spp.). As of late 2009, beetles have impacted over 600,000 hectares in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming (US Forest Service aerial survey estimates),...

Hidden in Plain sight: synthetic pheromone misleads beetles, protects trees

Treesearch

Paul Meznarich; Robert Progar

2015-01-01

In the last decade, pine forests throughout much of the western United States have been ravaged by the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae). This bark beetle is native to the United States and has been responsible for massive tree kills in the past. The current outbreak, however, has been notably severe and wide ranging and the effects have been more dramatic...

Colonization behaviors of mountain pine beetle on novel hosts: Implications for range expansion into northeastern North America

Treesearch

Derek W. Rosenberger; Robert C. Venette; Mitchell P. Maddox; Brian H. Aukema; Gadi V.P. Reddy

2017-01-01

As climates change, thermal limits may no longer constrain some native herbivores within their historical ranges. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a tree-killing bark beetle native to western North America that is currently expanding its range. Continued eastward expansion through the newly invaded and novel jack pine...

Mountain pine beetle dynamics and reproductive success in post-fire lodgepole and ponderosa pine forests in northeastern Utah

Treesearch

Andrew P. Lerch; Jesse A. Pfammatter; Barbara J. Bentz; Kenneth F. Raffa

2016-01-01

Fire injury can increase tree susceptibility to some bark beetles (Curculionidae, Scolytinae), but whether wildfires can trigger outbreaks of species such as mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is not well understood. We monitored 1173 lodgepole (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Doug.) and 599 ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa Doug. ex Law) pines for three...

Effects of bark beetle attack on canopy fuel flammability and crown fire potential in lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce forests

Treesearch

Wesley G. Page; Martin E. Alexander; Michael J. Jenkins

2015-01-01

Large wildland fires in conifer forests typically involve some degree of crowning, with their initiation and propagation dependent upon several characteristics of the canopy fuels. Recent outbreaks of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia E ngelm.) forests and spruce beetle (Dendroctonus...

Field Tests of Pine Oil as a Repellent for Southern Pine Bark Beetles

Treesearch

J.C. Nod; F.L. Hastings; A.S. Jones

1990-01-01

An experimental mixture of terpene hydrocarbons derived from wood pulping, BBR-2, sprayed on the lower 6 m of widely separated southern pine trees did not protect nearby trees from southern pine beetle attacks. Whether treated trees were protected from southern pine beetle was inconclusive. The pine oil mixture did not repellpsfrom treated trees or nearby untreated...

A postglacial coleopterous assemblage from Lockport Gulf, New York

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Randy F.; Morgan, Alan V.

1982-03-01

The Lockport Gulf site near Lockport, New York, is a 1.9-m sequence of organic-rich marls having a basal date of approximately 10,920 yr B.P. Six bulk samples with a combined weight of 48 kg produced over 780 individual fossil insects representing five orders, as well as molluscs and abundant plant macrofossils. Coleoptera were represented by 24 families. Several major beetle groups (Carabidae, ground beetles; Hydrophilidae, water scavenger beetles; Elmidae, riffle beetles; Staphylinidae, rove beetles; and Scolytidae, bark beetles) indicate a riffle-and-pool stream, surrounded by marsh, with open riparian habitats and nearby trees. Two zones were recognized based on the Coleoptera assemblages. The Zone 1 fauna (ca. 10,920-9800 yr B.P.) was dominated by boreal forest taxa with abundant bark beetles indicating the presence of spruce trees. In Zone 2 (ca. 9700-9100 yr B.P.) the combination of species with a restricted modern distribution in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest region and pine and deciduous tree inhabitants suggests a change in vegetation by 9700 yr B.P. Thermal estimates from a faunal analysis indicate that the climatic conditions were stable across the spruce-pine transition, with the mean July temperature in the range of 16° to 18°C.

Stand and landscape level effects of a major outbreak of spruce beetles on forest vegetation in the Copper River Basin, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, J.L.; Wesser, S.; Markon, C.J.; Winterberger, K.C.

2006-01-01

From 1989 to 2003, a widespread outbreak of spruce beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis) in the Copper River Basin, Alaska, infested over 275,000 ha of forests in the region. During 1997 and 1998, we measured forest vegetation structure and composition on one hundred and thirty-six 20-m ?? 20-m plots to assess both the immediate stand and landscape level effects of the spruce beetle infestation. A photo-interpreted vegetation and infestation map was produced using color-infrared aerial photography at a scale of 1:40,000. We used linear regression to quantify the effects of the outbreak on forest structure and composition. White spruce (Picea glauca) canopy cover and basal area of medium-to-large trees [???15 cm diameter-at-breast height (1.3 m, dbh)] were reduced linearly as the number of trees attacked by spruce beetles increased. Black spruce (Picea mariana) and small diameter white spruce (<15 cm dbh) were infrequently attacked and killed by spruce beetles. This selective attack of mature white spruce reduced structural complexity of stands to earlier stages of succession and caused mixed tree species stands to lose their white spruce and become more homogeneous in overstory composition. Using the resulting regressions, we developed a transition matrix to describe changes in vegetation types under varying levels of spruce beetle infestations, and applied the model to the vegetation map. Prior to the outbreak, our study area was composed primarily of stands of mixed white and black spruce (29% of area) and pure white spruce (25%). However, the selective attack on white spruce caused many of these stands to transition to black spruce dominated stands (73% increase in area) or shrublands (26% increase in area). The post-infestation landscape was thereby composed of more even distributions of shrubland and white, black, and mixed spruce communities (17-22% of study area). Changes in the cover and composition of understory vegetation were less evident in this study. However, stands with the highest mortality due to spruce beetles had the lowest densities of white spruce seedlings suggesting a longer forest regeneration time without an increase in seedling germination, growth, or survival. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mites associated with southern pine bark beetles in Allen Parish, Louisiana

Treesearch

John C. Moser; Lawrence M. Roton

1971-01-01

Ninety-six species of mites were associated with the southern pine beetle and allied scolytids in an outbreak area in Allen Parish, La. the complex was evaluated to ascertain which species may be of value as biological control agents.

Mites associated with Southern Pine Bark Beetles in Allen Parish, Louisiana

Treesearch

John C. Moser; Lawrence M. Roton

1971-01-01

Ninety-six species of mites were associated with the southern pine beetle and allied scolytides in an outbreak area in Allen Parish, LA. The complex was evaluated to ascertain which species may be of value as biological control agents.

Boring in response to bark and phloem extracts from North American trees does not explain host acceptance behavior of Orthotomicus erosus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Treesearch

Abigail J. Walter; Stephen A. Kells; Robert C. Venette; Steven J. Seybold

2010-01-01

When invasive herbivorous insects encounter novel plant species, they must determine whether the novel plants are hosts. The Mediterranean pine engraver, Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston), an exotic bark beetle poised to expand its range in North America, accepts hosts after contacting the bark. To test the hypothesis that O. erosus...

The Mexican pine beetle, dendroctonus maxicanus: first recorded in the United States and co-occurrence with the southern pine beetle - dendroctonus frontalis (coleoptera: scolytidae or curculionidae: scolytinae)

Treesearch

John C. Moser; Bobbe A. Fitzgibbon; Kier D. Klepzig

2005-01-01

The Mexican pine beetle (XPB) Dendroctonus mexicanus, is recorded here for the first time as a new introduction for the United States (US). Individuals of XPB and its sibling species, the southern pine beetle (SPB) Dendroctonus frontalis, were found infesting the same logs of Chihuahua pine, Pinus...

Southern pine beetle infestations in relation to forest stand conditions, previous thinning, and prescribed burning: evaluation of the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program

Treesearch

John T. Nowak; James R. Meeker; David R. Coyle; Chris A. Steiner; Cavell Brownie

2015-01-01

Since 2003, the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program (SPBPP) (a joint effort of the USDA Forest Service and Southern Group of State Foresters) has encouraged and provided cost-share assistance for silvicultural treatments to reduce stand/forest susceptibility to the southern pine beetle (SPB)(Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann) in the southeastern United States....

Multi-scale nest-site selection by black-backed woodpeckers in outbreaks of mountain pine beetles

Treesearch

Thomas W. Bonnot; Joshua J. Millspaugh; Mark A. Rumble

2009-01-01

Areas of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreaks in the Black Hills can provide habitat for black-backed woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus), a U.S. Forest Service, Region 2 Sensitive Species. These outbreaks are managed through removal of trees infested with mountain pine beetles to control mountain pine...

Monitoring Asian longhorned beetles in Massachusetts

Treesearch

Maya Nehme; Melody Keena; Aijun Zhang; Alan Sawyer; Kelli. Hoover

2011-01-01

An operationally effective trap to monitor the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis or ALB) has been a goal of the ALB eradication program since the first beetle was found in New York in 1996. Ground surveying is only ~20 percent effective at identifying infested trees and, although tree climbing is more effective, it is also...

Gallery productivity, emergence, and flight activity of the redbay ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Treesearch

M. Lake Maner; James Hanula; S. Kristine Braman

2013-01-01

Flight and emergence of the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff, were monitored from March 2011 through August 2012 using Lindgren funnel traps baited with manuka oil and emergence traps attached over individual beetle galleries on infested redbay (Persea borbonia (L.) Sprengel) trees. Of the 432 gallery entrances...

Effect of Cut-And-Leave and Cut-And-Top Control Treatments on Within-Tree Southern Pine Beetle Populations

Treesearch

G.D. Hertel; H. N. Wallace

1983-01-01

Effects of the cut-and-leave and cut-and-top treatments on within-tree populations of the southern pine beetle were evaluated in seven active infestations in central Louisiana. Beetle populations were significantly reduced only in December by felling freshly attacked trees.

A comment on “Management for mountain pine beetle outbreak suppression: Does relevant science support current policy?"

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; Kenneth E. Gibson; A. Steven Munson; Jose F. Negrón

2014-01-01

There are two general approaches for reducing the negative impacts of mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, on forests. Direct control involves short-term tactics designed to address current infestations by manipulating mountain pine beetle populations, and includes the use of fire, insecticides, semiochemicals, sanitation harvests...

An overview of lady beetles in relation to their potential as biological controls for hemlock woolly adelgid

Treesearch

Gouyue Yu; Michael E. Montgomery

2008-01-01

More than 63 species of lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) have been collected in China from hemlock infested with hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae. The lady beetle species that seem most useful for biological control are in the genus/subgenus Scymnus (Neopullus), namely S. camptodromus, S....

Population dynamics in changing environments: the case of an eruptive forest pest species.

PubMed

Kausrud, Kyrre; Okland, Bjørn; Skarpaas, Olav; Grégoire, Jean-Claude; Erbilgin, Nadir; Stenseth, Nils Chr

2012-02-01

In recent decades we have seen rapid and co-occurring changes in landscape structure, species distributions and even climate as consequences of human activity. Such changes affect the dynamics of the interaction between major forest pest species, such as bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), and their host trees. Normally breeding mostly in broken or severely stressed spruce; at high population densities some bark beetle species can colonise and kill healthy trees on scales ranging from single trees in a stand to multi-annual landscape-wide outbreaks. In Eurasia, the largest outbreaks are caused by the spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus (Linnaeus), which is common and shares a wide distribution with its main host, Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.). A large literature is now available, from which this review aims to synthesize research relevant for the population dynamics of I. typographus and co-occurring species under changing conditions. We find that spruce bark beetle population dynamics tend to be metastable, but that mixed-species and age-heterogeneous forests with good site-matching tend to be less susceptible to large-scale outbreaks. While large accumulations of logs should be removed and/or debarked before the next swarming period, intensive removal of all coarse dead wood may be counterproductive, as it reduces the diversity of predators that in some areas may play a role in keeping I. typographus populations below the outbreak threshold, and sanitary logging frequently causes edge effects and root damage, reducing the resistance of remaining trees. It is very hard to predict the outcome of interspecific interactions due to invading beetle species or I. typographus establishing outside its current range, as they can be of varying sign and strength and may fluctuate depending on environmental factors and population phase. Most research indicates that beetle outbreaks will increase in frequency and magnitude as temperature, wind speed and precipitation variability increases, and that mitigating forestry practices should be adopted as soon as possible considering the time lags involved. © 2011 The Authors. Biological Reviews © 2011 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Enantiospecific responses of southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) and its clerid predator, Thanasimus dubius, to a-pinene.

Treesearch

Jenny C. Staeben; Brian Sullivan; John T. Nowak; Kamal J.K. Gandhi

2015-01-01

Multi-trophic interactions between pine bark beetles, their host trees, and predators are mediated in part by volatile terpenes in host tree oleoresin that can influence aggregation and/or host finding by both prey and predator species. The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, mass-attacks pine trees in response to its aggregation pheromone combined...

Mountain pine beetle, a major disturbance agent in US western coniferous forests: A synthesis of the state of knowledge

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; Christopher J. Fettig

2014-01-01

It is well documented in the scientific and popular literature that large-scale bark beetle outbreaks are occurring across many coniferous forests in the western United States. One of the major species exhibiting extensive eruptive populations resulting in high levels of tree mortality is the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Hopkins) (Negron et al. 2008...

Surface fire intensity influences simulated crown fire behavior in lodgepole pine forests with recent mountain pine beetle-caused tree mortality

Treesearch

Chad M. Hoffman; Penelope Morgan; William Mell; Russell Parsons; Eva Strand; Steve Cook

2013-01-01

Recent bark beetle outbreaks have had a significant impact on forests throughout western North America and have generated concerns about interactions and feedbacks between beetle attacks and fire. However, research has been hindered by a lack of experimental studies and the use of fire behavior models incapable of accounting for the heterogeneous fuel complexes. We...

Walnut twig beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Colonization of eastern black walnut nursery trees

Treesearch

Jackson Audley; William E. Klingeman; Albert Mayfield; Scott Myers; Adam Taylor

2017-01-01

Thousand cankers disease, caused by the invasive bark beetle Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman and an associ-ated fungal pathogen Geosmithia morbida M. .Kolank , E. Freeland, C. Utley, N. Tisserat, currently threatens the health of eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) in North America. Both the beetle and pathogen have ex- panded beyond their native range via...

Interaction of an invasive bark beetle with a native forest pathogen: Potential effect of dwarf mistletoe on range expansion of mountain pine beetle in jack pine forests

Treesearch

Jennifer Klutsch; Nadir Erbilgin

2012-01-01

In recent decades, climate change has facilitated shifts in species ranges that have the potential to significantly affect ecosystem dynamics and resilience. Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is expanding east from British Columbia, where it has killed millions of pine trees, primarily lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta...

Cold tolerance of mountain pine beetle among novel eastern pines: A potential for trade-offs in an invaded range?

Treesearch

Derek W. Rosenberger; Brian H. Aukema; Robert C. Venette

2017-01-01

Novel hosts may have unforeseen impacts on herbivore life history traits. The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is a tree-killing bark beetle native to western North America but constrained by cold temperatures in the northern limits of its distribution. In recent years, this insect has spread north and east of its historical...

Short-term understory plant community responses to salvage logging in beetle-affected lodgepole pine forests

Treesearch

Paula J. Fornwalt; Charles C. Rhoades; Robert M. Hubbard; Rebecca L. Harris; Akasha M. Faist; William D. Bowman

2018-01-01

Recent bark beetle outbreaks in western North American subalpine forests have prompted managers to salvage log some beetle-affected stands. We examined the short-term (i.e., two to three years post-treatment) consequences of such salvage logging on vascular understory plant (i.e., graminoid, forb, and shrub) communities. At 24 lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) sites in...

Identifying ponderosa pines infested with mountain pine beetles

Treesearch

William F. McCambridge

1974-01-01

Trees successfully and unsuccessfully attacked by mountain pine beetles have several symptoms in common, so that proper diagnosis is not always easy. Guidelines presented here enable the observer to correctly distinguish nearly all attacked trees.

Preferential host switching and codivergence shaped radiation of bark beetle symbionts, nematodes of Micoletzkya (Nematoda: Diplogastridae).

PubMed

Susoy, V; Herrmann, M

2014-05-01

Host-symbiont systems are of particular interest to evolutionary biology because they allow testable inferences of diversification processes while also providing both a historical basis and an ecological context for studies of adaptation. Our investigations of bark beetle symbionts, predatory nematodes of the genus Micoletzkya, have revealed remarkable diversity of the group along with a high level of host specificity. Cophylogenetic analyses suggest that evolution of the nematodes was largely influenced by the evolutionary history of beetles. The diversification of the symbionts, however, could not be attributed to parallel divergence alone; our results indicate that adaptive radiation of the nematodes was shaped by preferential host shifts among closely related beetles along with codivergence. Whereas ecological and geographic isolation have played a major role in the diversification of Micoletzkya at shallow phylogenetic depths, adaptations towards related hosts have played a role in shaping cophylogenetic structure at a larger evolutionary scale. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Nitrogen-fixing and uricolytic bacteria associated with the gut of Dendroctonus rhizophagus and Dendroctonus valens (Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

PubMed

Morales-Jiménez, Jesús; Vera-Ponce de León, Arturo; García-Domínguez, Aidé; Martínez-Romero, Esperanza; Zúñiga, Gerardo; Hernández-Rodríguez, César

2013-07-01

The bark beetles of the genus Dendroctonus feed on phloem that is a nitrogen-limited source. Nitrogen fixation and nitrogen recycling may compensate or alleviate such a limitation, and beetle-associated bacteria capable of such processes were identified. Raoultella terrigena, a diazotrophic bacteria present in the gut of Dendroctonus rhizophagus and D. valens, exhibited high acetylene reduction activity in vitro with different carbon sources, and its nifH and nifD genes were sequenced. Bacteria able to recycle uric acid were Pseudomonas fluorescens DVL3A that used it as carbon and nitrogen source, Serratia proteomaculans 2A CDF and Rahnella aquatilis 6-DR that used uric acid as sole nitrogen source. Also, this is the first report about the uric acid content in whole eggs, larvae, and adults (male and female) samples of the red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens). Our results suggest that the gut bacteria of these bark beetles could contribute to insect N balance.

Incidence of bark- and wood-boring insects in firewood: a survey at Michigan's Mackinac Bridge.

PubMed

Haack, Robert A; Petrice, Toby R; Wiedenhoeft, Alex C

2010-10-01

Firewood is a major pathway for the inadvertent movement of bark- and wood-infesting insects. After discovery of Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in southeastern Michigan in 2002, quarantines were enacted including prohibition of transporting firewood across the Mackinac Bridge between Michigan's Lower and Upper peninsulas. Drivers are required to surrender firewood before crossing the bridge. We surveyed recently surrendered firewood in April, July, and September 2008 and categorized it by genus, cross-sectional shape (whole, half, or quarter), approximate age (years since it was a live tree), presence of bark, and evidence of bark- and wood-boring insects. The 1045 pieces of firewood examined represented 21 tree genera: primarily Acer (30%), Quercus (18%), Fraxinus (15%), Ulmus (12%), Betula (5%), and Prunus (5%). Live borers (Bostrichoidea, Brentidae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Cossidae, Curculionidae [Scolytinae and non-Scolytinae], and Siricidae) were found in 23% of the pieces and another 41% had evidence of previous borer infestation. Of the 152 Fraxinus firewood pieces, 13% had evidence of past A. planipennis infestation, but we found no live A. planipennis. We discuss national "don't move firewood" campaigns and U.S. imports of fuelwood. During 1996-2009, the United States imported fuelwood valued at > dollars U.S. 98 million from 34 countries.

Semiochemicals From Fungal Associates of Bark Beetles May Mediate Host Location Behavior of Parasitoids

Treesearch

Brian T. Sullivan; C. Wayne Berisford

2004-01-01

In laboratory olfactometer bioassays, females of two hymenopteran parasitoid species, Roptrocerus xylophagorum (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Spathius pallidus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), were attracted to odors from bark or bolts of loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., colonized by bluestain fungi (genus ...

The bacterial community of entomophilic nematodes and host beetles.

PubMed

Koneru, Sneha L; Salinas, Heilly; Flores, Gilberto E; Hong, Ray L

2016-05-01

Insects form the most species-rich lineage of Eukaryotes and each is a potential host for organisms from multiple phyla, including fungi, protozoa, mites, bacteria and nematodes. In particular, beetles are known to be associated with distinct bacterial communities and entomophilic nematodes. While entomopathogenic nematodes require symbiotic bacteria to kill and reproduce inside their insect hosts, the microbial ecology that facilitates other types of nematode-insect associations is largely unknown. To illuminate detailed patterns of the tritrophic beetle-nematode-bacteria relationship, we surveyed the nematode infestation profiles of scarab beetles in the greater Los Angeles area over a five-year period and found distinct nematode infestation patterns for certain beetle hosts. Over a single season, we characterized the bacterial communities of beetles and their associated nematodes using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. We found significant differences in bacterial community composition among the five prevalent beetle host species, independent of geographical origin. Anaerobes Synergistaceae and sulphate-reducing Desulfovibrionaceae were most abundant in Amblonoxia beetles, while Enterobacteriaceae and Lachnospiraceae were common in Cyclocephala beetles. Unlike entomopathogenic nematodes that carry bacterial symbionts, insect-associated nematodes do not alter the beetles' native bacterial communities, nor do their microbiomes differ according to nematode or beetle host species. The conservation of Diplogastrid nematodes associations with Melolonthinae beetles and sulphate-reducing bacteria suggests a possible link between beetle-bacterial communities and their associated nematodes. Our results establish a starting point towards understanding the dynamic interactions between soil macroinvertebrates and their microbiota in a highly accessible urban environment. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.