Tracking insect outbreaks: a case study of community-assisted moth monitoring using sex pheromone traps

Insect outbreaks can cover vast geographic areas making it onerous to cost-effectively monitor populations to address management or ecological questions. Community science (or citizen science), which entails engaging the public to assist with data collection, provides a possible solution to this challenge for the spruce budworm ( Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens), a major defoliating pest in North America. Here, we lay out the Budworm Tracker Program, a contributory community science program developed to help monitor spruce budworm moths throughout eastern Canada. The program outsources free pheromone trap kits to volunteers who periodically check and collect moths from their traps throughout the budworm flight period, then return them in a prepaid envelope to the organizers. Over three years, the program engaged an average of 216–375 volunteers and yielded a data return rate of 68%–89%, for a total of 16 311–54 525 moths per year. Volunteer retention among years was 71%–89%. Data from this program offer compelling evidence for the range of long-distance moth dispersal. Although our program was designed for spruce budworm, this template could easily be adapted for forestry, urban forestry, and agricultural systems to monitor any of the numerous organisms for which there is an established trapping method.

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STUDIES ON DIPTEROUS PARASITES OF THE SPRUCE BUDWORM, CHORISTONEURA FUMIFERANA (CLEM.) (LEPIDOPTERA.TORTRICIDAE): VI. PHOROCERA INCRASSATA SMITH (DIPTERA:TACHINIDAE)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z58-041 ◽

1958 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

pp. 453-462 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. C. Coppel

Keyword(s):

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Immature Stages ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

First Instar

Phorocera incrassala Smith, which was transferred from Western to Eastern Canada for release against the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), deposits microtype eggs on leaves, which are later ingested by the host. Eggs hatch immediately after ingestion, but the parasite does not develop beyond the first instar until the host pupates. The larva then develops rapidly, matures in 10 days, and forms its puparium within the host pupal case. The adult emerges in 12 to 14 days. No information is available on the overwintering habits. Among the important characters for identifying the immature stages of P. incrassala are the buccopharyngeal apparatus and the anterior and posterior spiracles.

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Second Diapause in Spruce Budworm from Eastern Canada

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent93594-7 ◽

1961 ◽

Vol 93 (7) ◽

pp. 594-602 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

George T. Harvey

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Experimental Analysis ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Fourth Instar ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Low Incidence ◽

One Year ◽

Storage Times ◽

Second Period

In eastern Canada larvae of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), complete their development in one year, undergoing only one period of winter diapause in the second instar, whereas in certain parts of British Columbia, at high altitudes, two years are normally required for development, the larvae spending a second period of winter diapause in the fourth instar (3, 9). Among laboratory-reared eastern budworm there are a few individuals that enter a similar second diapause (7). The low incidence and somewhat irregular occurrence of this second diapause in eastern budworm, even in laboratory rearings, have hitherto made detailed studies almost impossible, but unusual storage times and treatments used recently in rearing experiments had the unexpected effect of increasing the incidence of this tvpe of behaviour to a level where experimental analysis became possible. This paper describes these larvae and their behaviour; an account of the effects of various conditions upon the incidence of second diapause will be presented later.

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Effects of Spruce Budworm Outbreaks on the Productivity and Stability of Balsam Fir Forests

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc60273-5 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 273-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 96

Author(s):

David A. MacLean

Keyword(s):

Tree Mortality ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Wood Production ◽

Ecological Stability ◽

Short Term ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Feasible Method ◽

Human Usage

Effects of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) outbreaks on the productivity and stability of forests in eastern Canada are reviewed and discussed. Defoliation results in reduced growth of trees, widespread tree mortality, and loss of wood production, and thereby causes major forest management problems. At present, the only feasible method for limiting damage and losses from budworm outbreaks over large areas is to apply chemical or biological insecticides periodically to kill larvae and protect the forest from defoliation and tree mortality. Although budworm outbreaks definitely disrupt the wood-producing capacity of forests (or the short-term "stability of forests for human usage"), in terms of overall ecological stability, outbreaks apparently act as a cycling mechanism that allows advance fir-spruce regeneration to succeed the fir-spruce overstory.

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Long-distance dispersal of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens) in Minnesota (USA) and Ontario (Canada) via the atmospheric pathway

Agricultural and Forest Meteorology ◽

10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.09.008 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 168 ◽

pp. 186-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Brian R. Sturtevant ◽

Gary L. Achtemeier ◽

Joseph J. Charney ◽

Dean P. Anderson ◽

Barry J. Cooke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Long Distance Dispersal ◽

Long Distance

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Monitoring Spruce Budworm with Light Traps: The Effect of Trap Position

Psyche A Journal of Entomology ◽

10.1155/2014/450785 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Marc Rhainds ◽

Edward G. Kettela

Keyword(s):

New Brunswick ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Flight Period ◽

Light Traps ◽

Tree Canopies ◽

Trap Location ◽

Median Date ◽

Males And Females ◽

Highly Correlated

Daily records of adult spruce budworms,Choristoneura fumiferana(Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), captured at light traps at multiple locations in New Brunswick in the 1970s, are analyzed in relation to the physical position of light traps (tree canopies or forest clearings). Captures at light traps deployed in tree canopies were 4–400 times greater than those in forest clearings, especially for males. The phenology of captures (median date or duration of flight period) did not differ in relation to trap location. Captures of both males and females in tree canopies were highly correlated with egg densities, whereas no significant relationship was observed for either sex in forest clearings. Monitoring programs for spruce budworm adults using light traps should be standardized by deploying traps in tree canopies.

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Vulnerability of Conifer Regeneration to Spruce Budworm Outbreaks in the Eastern Canadian Boreal Forest

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10100850 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 850 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Janie Lavoie ◽

Miguel Montoro Girona ◽

Hubert Morin

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forests ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Insect Outbreaks ◽

Spruce Stands ◽

Canadian Boreal Forest

Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) is the main defoliator of conifer trees in North American boreal forests, affecting extensive areas and causing marked losses of timber supplies. In 2017, spruce budworm affected more than 7 million ha of Eastern Canadian forest. Defoliation was particularly severe for black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), one of the most important commercial trees in Canada. During the last decades, intensive forest exploitation practices have created vast stands of young balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and black spruce. Most research focused on the impacts of spruce budworm has been on mature stands; its effects on regeneration, however, have been neglected. This study evaluates the impacts of spruce budworm on the defoliation of conifer seedlings (black spruce and balsam fir) in clearcuts. We measured the cumulative and annual defoliation of seedlings within six clearcut black spruce stands in Quebec (Canada) that had experienced severe levels of defoliation due to spruce budworm. For all sampled seedlings, we recorded tree species, height class, and distance to the residual forest. Seedling height and species strongly influenced defoliation level. Small seedlings were less affected by spruce budworm activity. As well, cumulative defoliation for balsam fir was double that of black spruce (21% and 9%, respectively). Distance to residual stands had no significant effect on seedling defoliation. As insect outbreaks in boreal forests are expected to become more severe and frequent in the near future, our results are important for adapting forest management strategies to insect outbreaks in a context of climate change.

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The influence of forest composition and climate on outbreak characteristics of the spruce budworm in eastern Canada

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2013-0240 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 43 (12) ◽

pp. 1181-1195 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

David R. Gray

Keyword(s):

Black Spruce ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Basal Area ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Climate Scenario ◽

Forest Composition ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

The North ◽

Average Change ◽

Maximum Temperatures

The spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens) is perhaps the single most important disturbance agent in Canada’s eastern forests. Climate and forest composition are dominant factors in spruce budworm outbreak dynamics through their direct influences on the pest, its natural enemies, and its hosts, and through their influence on the multitrophic interactions that are important in outbreak dynamics. A combination of four climate variables, three forest composition variables, and one location variable explained 60% of the multivariate variability in outbreak characteristics (duration and severity) in eastern Canada. Outbreak duration was most strongly influenced by April–May accumulation of degree-days; outbreak severity was most strongly influenced by the extreme maximum temperatures of April–May. The basal area of balsam fir had a stronger influence than that of black spruce on duration and on severity. Both outbreak characteristics declined in more northerly locations. Under a projected future (2011–2040) climate scenario the largest increases in outbreak duration and severity are predicted to occur on the Gaspé Peninsula and the north shore of the St. Lawrence River (Quebec). The largest decreases in duration and severity are predicted to occur in southern Ontario and along the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The predicted average change in outbreak duration is around –1.3 years. The predicted average change in outbreak severity is only slightly different from zero (around –1.5% defoliation).

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Relationship of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) emergence and balsam fir (Abies balsamea) bud flush to climate indices

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc85625-4 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 85 (4) ◽

pp. 625-630 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alan J Thomson

Keyword(s):

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Balsam Fir ◽

Climate Indices ◽

Published Data ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

The Pacific ◽

Larval Emergence ◽

Temperature Records

Temperature records from weather stations across eastern Canada were used with published data on degree-day requirements for spruce budworm larval emergence and balsam fir bud flush to estimate historical patterns of larval emergence and timing of bud flush. The pattern of association was studied using Response Surface Analysis and was found to vary from west to east. April values of the Pacific/North American (PNA) pattern, Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Northern Annular Mode (NAM) climate indices showed the most significant relationship to both emergence and bud flush in the 2 Ontario stations, while May values of the PDO and Eastern Pacific (EP) indices were most significant in the 4 Quebec and New Brunswick locations. Key words: phenology, balsam fir, teleconnections

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The Gut Microbiome of the Eastern Spruce Budworm Does Not Influence Larval Growth or Survival

10.1101/330928 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Melbert T. Schwarz ◽

Daniel Kneeshaw ◽

Steven W. Kembel

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Research Effort ◽

Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽

Larval Growth ◽

Spruce Budworm ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Growth And Survival ◽

Eastern Spruce Budworm ◽

Host Microbe Interactions

ABSTRACTMicrobial communities have been shown to play an important role for host health in mammals, especially humans. It is thought that microbes could play an equally important role in other animal hosts such as insects. A growing body of evidence seems to support this, however most of the research effort in understanding host-microbe interactions in insects has been focused on a few well-studied groups such as bees, cockroaches and termites. We studied the effects of the gut-associated microbial community on the growth and survival of the eastern spruce budworm Choristoneura fumiferana, an economically important lepidopteran forest pest in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Contrary to our expectations, the gut microbial community of spruce budworm larvae does not appear to influence host growth or survival. Our results agree with the hypothesis that lepidopteran larvae lack resident microbial communities and are not nutritionally dependent on bacterial symbionts.

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