Dendrochronological analysis of the response of tamarack (Larix laricina) to climate and larch sawfly (Pristiphora erichsonii) infestations in central Saskatchewan

Ecoscience ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roslyn A. Case ◽  
Glen M. Macdonald
1968 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 470-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Heron

AbstractLarvae of the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), were fed foliage of tamarack, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch, treated with solutions of the vital dyes, Nile blue sulphate, rhodamine B, and coriphosphine O, to determine their suitability as markers. Coriphosphine O was highly toxic at the concentrations administered but successful tagging was obtained with the other two dyes. Optimal dye retention and survival were obtained when larvae were fed for 3 days early in the last stadium using Nile blue sulphate and throughout the last stadium using rhodamine B.Both dyes persisted throughout development and were incorporated in the cocoons and the oviposited eggs. They could be readily seen in all stages except for the cocoons and for eggs that contained rhodamine B. The dyes could be detected in cocoons by treating them with cold KOH followed by ethanol. The presence of rhodamine B in the eggs could be ascertained by its yellow fluorescence in ultraviolet.The dyes incorporated in the cocoons are relatively stable and laboratory tests indicate they probably can withstand weathering under normal field conditions over a 1-year period.The use of these dyes for internal marking should prove useful in studying adult dispersal and flight range and as a technique for use in population studies of the larch sawfly.


1980 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Maltais

The larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), is a serious defoliator of trees of the genus Larix and particularly of Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch in eastern Canada. According to Reeks (1954), four outbreaks occurred in the Maritime Provinces between 1883 and 1942. Following the last outbreak, few specimens of the insect were found in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island until 1960 when an outbreak started near Fredericton, New Brunswick. Since, outbreaks varying in degree from moderate to severe have persisted throughout this province.In the course of a study on the ecology and population dynamics of the insect it was found necessary to verify and separate the various developmental stages of the larvae.


1991 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conrad Cloutier ◽  
Louise Filion

AbstractLarch sawfly oviposition activity as revealed by scarring of long shoots of eastern larch, Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch, was measured at various locations in the high boreal forest and forest tundra in Québec in 1988 and 1989. The data show that larch sawfly is established up to the tree line, even on isolated larch growing under climatic conditions that are extreme for this tree. Frequency distributions of scarred shoots as a function of time suggest thai larch sawfly populations reached outbreak levels in the 1980s, with peak numbers in 1981 for the high boreal, and in 1985 for the subarctic regions sampled. Trends in long shoot production by larch trees started to fluctuate simultaneously with the sudden increase in larch sawfly populations along the Grande Rivière de la Baleine in 1984. In this region in 1985, the proportion of long shoots used by Pristiphora erichsonii averaged 20–35%, which may have limited further population increase. Although foliage reduction and branch mortality were observed, mortality of whole trees was not a general characteristic of this outbreak.


1979 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Wagner ◽  
T. Ikeda ◽  
D. M. Benjamin ◽  
F. Matsumura

AbstractLarch sawfly larvae, Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig), naturally reject single needles of newly elongated shoots and consume only tufted foliage from 1 year or older short shoots of tamarack, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch. Forest entomologists have recognized this unusual feeding behavior for over a century, but not until now has the mechanism been understood. In the bioassasy of unpurified single needle methanol extracts (concn. 1 g needle/ml), 88.5% of the larvae were feeding on the control end of the bioassay twig (solvent only) after 4 h. This was significantly different from a similar bioassay of tufted foliage extract (t-value significant at 0.02 level) and a non-treated control bioassay (distilled water on both ends of bioassay twig) (t-value significant at 0.01 level). In the bioassay of a purified extract of single tamarack needles (TLC fraction 7), 81% of larvae were feeding on the untreated end (t-value significant 0.02). Thin-layer chromatography fraction 7, of eight fractions delineated, alone induced significant feeding inhibition.


2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin-Philippe Girardin ◽  
Jacques Tardif ◽  
Yves Bergeron

Climate change, fires, and insects outbreaks can affect eastern larch (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) stand dynamics. To determine which of these factors had the greatest influence on stand dynamics, we sampled four wetlands dominated by larch on the margin of Lake Duparquet in the northern Clay Belt of Quebec. The ages of seedlings, saplings, and trees were determined in twelve 400-m2 plots. Increment cores were taken at breast height to determine past disturbance episodes related, among others, to larch sawfly (Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig)) activity. Stem analysis was conducted using larch and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) for identification of post-disturbance releases in height growth. Analyses at the stand and cluster levels showed that larch age structures were characterized by many unsynchronized establishment periods. In addition, a seedlings bank not much older than 10 years characterized many plots. Two larch sawfly outbreak episodes (1895–1912 and 1955–1962) identified by tree-ring and stem analysis were associated with larch establishment. A smaller outbreak in the late 1970s could also have contributed to the initiation of establishment in one stand. Our results suggest that the length (severity) of an outbreak may be a critical factor in explaining the different patterns of establishment observed in these stands. During a severe outbreak, larch establishment may occur mainly from surviving stems (increased seed production), whereas during a mild outbreak, larch establishment may occur from increased survival of pre-established seedlings and saplings. Further studies on the distribution of gaps within larch stands may provide better information on the pattern of mortality (gap dynamics) during an outbreak and may help to better understand larch establishment in these stands.


1966 ◽  
Vol 98 (6) ◽  
pp. 671-672
Author(s):  
Donald C. Schmiege

Larvae of the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), were collected in Alaska in 1965. This is the first record of this insect in Alaska. On 26 and 27 July 1965, stands of tamarack, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch, were examined at 16 locations along the Richardson Highway southeast of Fairbanks. Larch sawfly larvae were collected from 12 of the stands examined. Collection locations are shown in Fig. 1.


1955 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. G. H. Ives

The larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), lays its eggs in the new terminal shoots of tamarack, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch. The oviposition injury usually causes the shoots to curl. During 1952 a sampling project was conducted in the Whiteshell Forest Reserve, Manitoba, to determine the feasibility of sampling tamarack trees to obtain estimates of the egg population of the larch sawfly. Additional data on the frequency distribution of the number of larch sawfly eggs per shoot were collected in 1953 and 1954 from several areas in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The number of eggs per curled tip varied between plots and between trees on one plot, but no factors contributing to variation could be found. The frequency distribution of the number of eggs per curled shoot was found to be a modified logarithmic normal distribution. The number of curled tips per branch and the number of branches per crown level varied between crown levels and between tree types. Stratification of the sample increased the efficiency of sampling, reducing the standard error of the mean by about 15% and the required sample size by about 30%. The large variation in the estimated number of curled tips per tree indicates that a large sample of trees is required to obtain accurate estimates. As a compromise between accuracy and practicability it is recommended that six-branch samples be taken from each of at least 15 trees, using stratified sampling with proportional allocation. Simple random sampling, taking two branches from the mid-crown of at least 25 trees, is suggested to provide a population index of sufficient accuracy for survey purposes.


Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.) (Hymenopt., Tenthredinoidea) (Larch Sawfly). Hosts: Larix spp. Information is given on the geographical distribution in EUROPE (excl. USSR), Austria, Britain, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Rumania, Sweden, ASIA (excl. USSR), Japan, USSR, NORTH AMERICA, Canada, U.S.A.


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