Lodgepole pine, jack pine, and their hybrids: molecular markers reveal mountain pine beetle host-range expansion into jack pine of the boreal forest

AbstractMountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), adults fly to disperse before host colonisation. The effect of flight on reproduction was tested by comparing the number and quality of offspring from beetles flown on flight mills to that of unflown control beetles. Beetles reproduced in bolts of their native host, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann (Pinaceae)), or a novel host, jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lambert (Pinaceae)). Bolts infested by control beetles produced more offspring overall than bolts with flown beetles. The effect of pine species on the number of offspring produced per bolt varied by individual tree. Flown adults produced fewer offspring compared to control parents in all bolts in jack pine regardless of the tree, but tree-level variation was visible in lodgepole pine. An interaction between flight treatment and tree host affected beetle body condition. More offspring emerged from jack pine, but higher quality offspring emerged from lodgepole pine. The offspring sex ratio was female-biased regardless of parental flight treatment. This study reveals trade-offs between flight and reproduction in mountain pine beetle as measured at the level of the bolt.

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The ecological interaction of the mountain pine beetle and jack pine budworm in the boreal forest

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc86766-6 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 86 (6) ◽

pp. 766-774 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Lindsay J. Colgan ◽

Nadir Erbilgin

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Boreal Forest ◽

Mountain Pine Beetle ◽

Dendroctonus Ponderosae ◽

Jack Pine ◽

Mountain Pine ◽

Choristoneura Pinus ◽

Pine Beetle ◽

Jack Pine Budworm ◽

Choristoneura Pinus Pinus

As climate change facilitates the range and host expansion of insect species into new ecosystems, the development of newstrategies for managing and preventing biological invasion is receiving considerable interest. In recent years, the range ofthe mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) has expanded from lodgepole pine-dominated forests eastof the Rocky Mountains into lodgepole x jack pine hybrid forest of western Alberta, and may soon invade jack pine forestsof the boreal. Our understanding of factors contributing colonization of jack pine by mountain pine beetle is far fromcomplete and several factors may limit its spread in these forests, including tree resistance and competitors. Among these,the jack pine budworm (Choristoneura pinus pinus Freeman) is one of the most important insect enemies of jack pine andan outbreak defoliator that potentially weakens jack pine trees, which may make them more susceptible to MPB attacks.To develop effective management strategies in the face of the short-run impacts of climate change, we need an in-depthunderstanding of factors influencing establishment and survival of the beetle in jack pine forests.Key words: Choristoneura pinus pinus, Dendroctonus ponderosae, jack pine, range expansion, invasion biology, climatechange in the boreal forest, conifer-mediated interactions, tree induced defences, tripartite interactions

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Virulence of, and interactions among, mountain pine beetle associated blue-stain fungi on two pine species and their hybrids in Alberta

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b07-016 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 85 (3) ◽

pp. 316-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

A.V. Rice ◽

M.N. Thormann ◽

D.W. Langor

Keyword(s):

Mountain Pine Beetle ◽

Lodgepole Pine ◽

Jack Pine ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Lesion Length ◽

Mountain Pine ◽

Pine Beetle ◽

Blue Stain Fungi ◽

Blue Stain ◽

Hybrid Pine

Mountain pine beetle (MPB) is the most serious pest of lodgepole pine in western Canada, and it is predicted to spread into boreal jack pine within the next few years. Colonization of host trees by MPB-associated blue-stain fungi appears to be required for successful beetle reproduction. Three species of blue-stain fungi, Grosmannia clavigera (Robinson-Jeffery and Davidson) Zipfel, de Beer, and Wingfield (≡ Ophiostoma clavigerum (Robinson-Jeffery and Davidson) Harrington), Ophiostoma montium (Rumbold) von Arx, and Leptographium longiclavatum Lee, Kim, and Breuil, are associated with MPB in Alberta. In inoculation experiments, all three fungi caused lesions on lodgepole pine, jack pine, and their hybrids. On average, lesions were longer on jack pine and hybrids than on lodgepole pine, suggesting that fungal development will not be a barrier to MPB success in these trees. Differences in lesion length caused by the three fungal species were minimal, with significant differences observed only on hybrid pine and between O. montium and the other fungal treatments. On average, lesions caused by combinations of the three fungi (pair-wise and all together) did not differ significantly in length from those caused by the fungi singly, and none of the fungal species competitively excluded any of the others. These observations suggest that all three species are pathogenic to boreal pines and that the virulence of all three species is comparable.

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Peer Review #2 of "Comparison of lodgepole and jack pine resin chemistry: implications for range expansion by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (v0.1)"

10.7287/peerj.240v0.1/reviews/2 ◽

2014 ◽

Keyword(s):

Peer Review ◽

Range Expansion ◽

Mountain Pine Beetle ◽

Dendroctonus Ponderosae ◽

Jack Pine ◽

Pine Resin ◽

Mountain Pine ◽

Pine Beetle

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EGG GALLERY, BROOD PRODUCTION, AND ADULT CHARACTERISTICS OF MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE, DENDROCTONUS PONDEROSAE HOPKINS (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE), IN THREE PINE HOSTS

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent127955-6 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 127 (6) ◽

pp. 955-965 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

H.F. Cerezke

Keyword(s):

Mountain Pine Beetle ◽

Lodgepole Pine ◽

Dendroctonus Ponderosae ◽

Jack Pine ◽

Brood Production ◽

East Central ◽

Limber Pine ◽

Mountain Pine ◽

Pine Beetle ◽

Jack Pine Forests

AbstractDuring the 1977–1986 outbreak of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in southwestern Alberta and Saskatchewan, populations of this beetle developed in lodgepole pine and limber pine stands, and threatened to spread northeasterly to the extensive jack pine forests in the central parts of the two provinces. To assess jack pine as a potential new breeding host, I compare egg galleries, brood production, and adult characteristics of D. ponderosae reared in lodgepole, limber, and jack pine logs. Brood productivity, beetle size, sex ratios, and egg gallery characteristics are described for beetle populations reared from naturally infested limber pine logs from southwestern Alberta, and from artificially infested jack pine logs from east-central Alberta and central Saskatchewan. In a field experiment where logs of the three hosts were placed together, adult beetles and their gallery characteristics are described and compared on the three hosts. The results confirm that jack pine is a viable host, that D. ponderosae’s attack characteristics, survival, and progeny on jack pine all appear comparable to those characters observed for beetles reared on lodgepole pine, and that limber pine is highly productive of beetle brood.

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