Coexistence and Competition betweenTomicus yunnanensisandT. minor(Coleoptera: Scolytinae) in Yunnan Pine
Competition and cooperation between bark beetles,Tomicus yunnanensisKirkendall and Faccoli andTomicus minor(Hartig) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) were examined when they coexisted together in living Yunnan pine trees (Pinus yunnanensisFranchet) in Yunnan province in Southwest China.T. yunnanensisbark beetles were observed to initiate dispersal from pine shoots to trunks in November, while the majority ofT. minorbegins to transfer in December.T. yunnanensismainly attacks the top and middle parts of the trunk, whereasT. minormainly resides in the lower and middle parts of the trunk. The patterns of attack densities of these two species were similar, but withT. yunnanensiscolonizing the upper section of the trunk andT. minorthe lower trunk. The highest attack density ofT. Yunnanensiswas 297 egg galleries/m2, and the highest attack density ofT. minorwas 305 egg galleries/m2. Although there was significant overlap for the same bark areas, the two species generally colonize different areas of the tree, which reduces the intensity of competition for the relatively thin layer of phloem-cambium tissues where the beetles feed and reside.