Influence of selected habitat and stand factors on bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) outbreak in the Białowieża Forest

2020 ◽  
Vol 459 ◽  
pp. 117826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Stereńczak ◽  
Miłosz Mielcarek ◽  
Agnieszka Kamińska ◽  
Bartłomiej Kraszewski ◽  
Żaneta Piasecka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Ips Typographus ◽  
Białowieża Forest

scholarly journals Is it possible and necessary to control European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) outbreak in the Białowieża Forest?

2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Hilszczański ◽  
Jerzy R. Starzyk
Keyword(s):  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Ips Typographus ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Forest Research ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Spruce Bark Beetle ◽  
Białowieża Forest ◽  
Spruce Bark ◽  
European Spruce Bark Beetle

Abstract In response to the information published in ‘Forest Research Papers’ (vol. 77(4), 2016), regarding the problem of the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) in the Białowieża Forest, we present our viewpoint on this issue. The role of the European spruce bark beetle in the Białowieża Forest is discussed based on the experience gained in Europe’s forests. We present the effects of I. typographus outbreaks on forest biodiversity as well as outbreak mitigation in the context of the processes taking place in semi-natural forests.

scholarly journals Health Assessment and Genetic Structure of Monumental Norway Spruce Trees during A Bark Beetle (Ips typographus L.) Outbreak in the Białowieża Forest District, Poland

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 647
Author(s):  
Justyna Anna Nowakowska ◽  
Tom Hsiang ◽  
Paulina Patynek ◽  
Krzysztof Stereńczak ◽  
Ireneusz Olejarski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Ips Typographus ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
Białowieża Forest ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest ◽  
Forest District

A current ongoing unprecedented outbreak of Ips typographus (L.) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) in the Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF) has nearly eliminated Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) as a major forest tree species there, since over 1 million trees have died. In this part of Europe, Norway spruce has grown for hundreds of years, previously accounting for 30% of forest species composition. The aim of this study was to evaluate 47 “Monuments of Nature” of Norway spruce as follows: (i) their current health status in the managed forests of Białowieża Forest District; (ii) possible causes and changes in their health during the last bark beetle outbreak; and (iii) potential losses from the gene pool. Our findings from ground and remote sensing inventories showed that only 12 out of 47 (25%) monumental trees protected by law survived until 2017 in the study area. The rest (75%) of the investigated trees had died. An analysis of meteorological data from Białowieża suggested that the beginning of the I. typographus outbreak in 2012 was associated with diminishing precipitation during growing seasons prior to this time and subsequent increases in annual temperature, coupled with heavy storms in 2017 toppling weakened trees. A comparison of old-growth “Monuments of Nature” spruce in the region (n = 47, average age 225 years) to seven reference spruce stands (n = 281, average age 132 years) revealed a loss of unique genetic features based on frequencies of eleven nuclear microsatellite loci. Although all studied populations had similar genetic background (FST(without NA) = 0.003 and no STRUCTURE clustering), all monumental spruce trees shared the highest parameters such as the mean observed and expected number of alleles per locus (Na = 15.909 and Ne = 7.656, respectively), mean allelic richness (AR(11) = 8.895), mean private alleles (Apriv = 0.909), and mean Shannon diversity index (I = 1.979) in comparison to the younger stands. Our results demonstrate that the loss of the old spruce trees will entail the loss of genetic variability of the Norway spruce population within the exceptionally valuable Białowieża Primeval Forest.

scholarly journals Facultative and obligate diapause phenotypes in populations of the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Schebeck ◽  
Nina Dobart ◽  
Gregory J. Ragland ◽  
Axel Schopf ◽  
Christian Stauffer
Keyword(s):  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Ovarian Development ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Gonad Development ◽  
Ips Typographus ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Species Variation ◽  
Northern European ◽  
Spruce Bark ◽  
Egg Number

AbstractThe bark beetle Ips typographus is the most destructive insect pest in Norway spruce-dominated forests. Its potential to establish multiple generations per year (multivoltinism) is one major trait that makes this beetle a severe pest. Ips typographus enters diapause to adjust its life cycle to seasonally changing environments. Diapause is characterized by developmental and reproductive arrest; it prolongs generation time and thus affects voltinism. In I. typographus a facultative, photoperiod-regulated diapause in the adult stage has been described. In addition, the presence of an obligate, photoperiod-independent, diapause has been hypothesized. The diapause phenotype has important implications for I. typographus voltinism, as populations with obligate diapausing individuals would be univoltine. To test for the presence of different I. typographus diapause phenotypes, we exposed Central and Northern European individuals to a set of photoperiodic treatments. We used two ovarian traits (egg number and vitellarium size) that are associated with gonad development, to infer reproductive arrest and thus diapause. We found a distinct effect of photoperiod on ovarian development, with variable responses in Central and Northern European beetles. We observed obligate diapausing (independent of photoperiod) individuals in Northern Europe, and both facultative (photoperiod-regulated) as well as obligate diapausing individuals in Central Europe. Our results show within-species variation for diapause induction, an adaptation to match life cycles with seasonally fluctuating environmental conditions. As the diapause phenotype affects the potential number of generations per season, our data are the basis for assessing the risk of outbreaks of this destructive bark beetle.

scholarly journals Drivers of Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus) Infestations on Downed Trees after Severe Windthrow

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1290
Author(s):  
Branislav Hroššo ◽  
Pavel Mezei ◽  
Mária Potterf ◽  
Andrej Majdák ◽  
Miroslav Blaženec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Ips Typographus ◽  
Wind Damage ◽  
Stem Length ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Spruce Bark Beetle ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Spruce Bark

Research Highlights: Bark beetles are important agents of disturbance regimes in temperate forests, and specifically in a connected wind-bark beetle disturbance system. Large-scale windthrows trigger population growth of the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) from endemic to epidemic levels, thereby allowing the killing of Norway spruce trees over several consecutive years. Background and Objectives: There is a lack of evidence to differentiate how outbreaks are promoted by the effects of environmental variables versus beetle preferences of trees from endemic to outbreak. However, little is known about how individual downed-tree characteristics and local conditions such as tree orientation and solar radiation affect beetle colonization of downed trees. Materials and Methods: To answer this question, we investigated the infestation rates and determined tree death categories (uprooted, broken, and stump) in wind-damaged areas in Western Tatra Mts. in Carpathians (Slovakia) from 2014–2016, following a windthrow in May 2014. In total, we investigated 225 trees over eight transects. For every tree, we measured its morphological (tree height, crown characteristics), environmental (solar radiation, terrain conditions, trunk zenith), temporal (time since wind damage), and beetle infestation (presence, location of attack, bark desiccation) parameters. We applied Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMM) to unravel the main drivers of I. typographus infestations. Results: Over the first year, beetles preferred to attack broken trees and sun-exposed trunk sides over uprooted trees; the infestation on shaded sides started in the second year along with the infestation of uprooted trees with lower desiccation rates. We found that time since wind damage, stem length, and incident solar radiation increased the probability of beetle infestation, although both solar radiation and trunk zenith exhibited nonlinear variability. Our novel variable trunk zenith appeared to be an important predictor of bark beetle infestation probability. We conclude that trunk zenith as a simple measure defining the position of downed trees over the terrain can anticipate beetle infestation. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to understanding of the bark beetle’s preferences to colonize windthrown trees in the initial years after the primary wind damage. Further, our findings can help to identify trees that are most susceptible to beetle infestation and to prioritize management actions to control beetle population while maintaining biodiversity.

scholarly journals Bark Beetle Population Dynamics in the Anthropocene: Challenges and Solutions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. W. Biedermann ◽  
Jean-Claude Grégoire ◽  
Axel Gruppe ◽  
Jonas Hagge ◽  
Almuth Hammerbacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ips Typographus ◽  
Ecological Framework ◽  
Beetle Population ◽  
Spruce Bark ◽  
Important Pest

Tree-killing bark beetles are the most economically important insects in conifer forests worldwide. Yet  despite >200 years of research, the drivers of population eruptions or crashes are still not fully understood, precluding reliable predictions of the effects of global change on beetle population dynamics and impacts on ecosystems and humans.  We critically analyze potential biotic and abiotic drivers of population dynamics of the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) and present a novel ecological framework that integrates the multiple drivers governing this bark beetle system. We call for large-scale collaborative research efforts to improve our understanding of the population dynamics of this important pest; an approach that might serve as a blueprint for other eruptive forest insects.

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