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Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 January 2024) | Viewed by 15643

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Dr. Qing-He Zhang

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Guest Editor

R&D Department, Sterling International, Inc., Spokane, WA, USA
Interests: forest insects; bark beetles; chemical ecology; electrophysiology; pest management; semiochemical; insect trap; attractant; repellent

Dr. Jeremy Dean Allison

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Great Lakes Forestry Centre – Sault Ste Marie Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Interests: forest insects; applied chemical ecology; pest management; IPM; chemical signal; trap

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In terms of impacts and numbers of species and individuals, insects are an important natural component of forest ecosystems. Forest insects not only have a strong impact on tree growth and reproduction, but also interact closely with other animals and plants in forest ecosystems. Some insects have negative impacts on tree health. In addition, some species reach high population densities, primarily due to ecological imbalances caused by disturbances (including climate change) and can result in significant levels of tree mortality and impacts at the stand level. As a result of globalization, international travel and climate change, many species have expanded their ranges and some of these have become new and serious pests in the invaded ranges.

Chemical ecology is the study of chemically mediated intra- and interspecific interactions and, consequently, has immense potential to provide biorational pest management tactics. For example, chemically mediated interactions involving forest insects include the role that semiochemicals play in mate location, and mediating interspecific interactions include detection and avoidance of host/non-host trees, predator-prey interactions and interactions with microorganisms (including symbionts) in forest ecosystems. Semiochemicals of many forest insects, including pheromones, allomones, kairomones, and synomones, have been identified, synthesized and incorporated into IPM programs against economically and ecologically important forest insect pests.

This Special Issue on “Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects” welcomes original research articles and reviews on the recent progress of semiochemical biology/ecology, chemical identification/synthesis and the application of synthetic semiochemicals in pest management (including monitoring, mass-trapping, mating disruption, attract-kill and push-pull) of important native and invasive forest insect pests.

Dr. Qing-He Zhang
Dr. Jeremy Dean Allison
Guest Editors

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Keywords

forest insects
insect–tree interaction
chemical communication
semiochemical
pheromone
kairomone
attractant
repellent
trap
pest control

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1868 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential of Scots Pine for a Push Strategy against the European Spruce Bark Beetle Ips typographus

by Riccardo Favaro, Alessandro Andriolo, Cinthia Sieder and Sergio Angeli

Forests 2023, 14(9), 1727; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091727 - 27 Aug 2023

Viewed by 904

Abstract

Ips typographus, the European spruce bark beetle, is a destructive forest insect that attacks spruce trees. It poses a significant threat to the forestry industry, causing widespread tree mortality and economic losses, and its management through chemical ecology is a promising approach. Attraction relies on aggregation pheromones while repellency is achieved via antiaggregation pheromones combined with mixtures of nonhost volatiles (NHVs), but an effective push and pull strategy has not been established yet. In this study, we observed the beetle colonization dynamic and density comparing pure Norway spruce stacks and Norway spruce stacks with 20% Scots pine logs. We collected the spruce bark volatiles before the beetle colonization and at the end of the trial, and tested the behavioral effects on the beetles of both spruce and pine essential oils in olfactometer trials. In the stacks with Scots pine, we observed a delayed primary colonization and a 65% reduction of the secondary colonization, confirming the colonization disruption mediated by NHVs. Volatile analysis showed a significant change in the bark emission profiles, and the reaching of the antiaggregation phase was marked by the release of verbenone. Behavioral experiments confirmed the attractivity of spruce essential oil and the strong repellency of the pine essential oil. The study supports the use of complex NHVs blends for the beetle behavioral manipulation in the field. Further studies are needed to assess if the same results can be achieved by deploying essential oils in forest stands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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17 pages, 5493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functional Role of Intestinal Symbiotic Microorganisms in Improving the Adaptability of Anoplophora glabripennis to Resistant Host Plants

by Qi Gu, Ruofeng Jia, Shuai Guo, Han Li, Enhua Hao, Xi Yang, Pengfei Lu and Haili Qiao

Forests 2023, 14(8), 1573; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081573 - 01 Aug 2023

Viewed by 840

Abstract

To investigate the adaptation mechanism of Anoplophora glabripennis to traditional resistant Fraxinus, we used metabolomics, enzyme activity detection, and 16SrRNA sequencing technology to analyze the correlation among plants, insects, and symbiotic microorganisms. The results show that a total of 19 classes and 108 different resistant metabolites were screened from xylem of Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Fraxinus chinensis. Except iridoids, lignin, alkaloids, and derivatives; amines, cinnamic acids, and derivatives; and amino acids and derivatives, the rest of them were abundant in F. chinensis. The activity of digestive enzymes and detoxifying enzymes in the intestinal of F. pennsylvanica feeder was significantly higher than that of F. chinensis feeder. After feeding on two hosts, there were significant differences in the intestinal bacterial community of A. glabripennis. At the phylum level, the dominant phyla of intestinal bacteria after feeding on F. pennsylvanica and F. chinensis were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, respectively. At the genus level, Raoultella (55.79%) and Lactococcus (57.52%) were the most dominant bacteria, respectively. The correlation analysis shows that β-glucosidase, exo-β-1,4-glucanase, lipase, carboxylesterase, and cytochrome P450 had a significant negative correlation with sesquiterpenoids, amino acids, and derivatives, and a significant positive correlation with lignin and amines. Raoultella, unclassified Enterobactriaceae, and Enterobacter in the gut community were negatively correlated with sesquiterpenes and amino acid derivatives and significantly positively correlated with lignin and amines. The correlations with defensive substances for Lactococcus, Enterococcus, and Gibbsiella were the exact opposite of those for these gut communities. This can provide a new idea for the prevention and control of A. glabripennis by studying the interaction among plants, insects and intestinal symbiotic microorganisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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11 pages, 1799 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Attraction of Male Pine Sawflies, Diprion jingyuanensis, to Synthetic Pheromone Candidates: Synergism between Two Stereoisomers

by Olle Anderbrant, Qing-He Zhang, Guo-Fa Chen, Fredrik Östrand, Gunnar Bergström, Ann-Britt Wassgren, Zhen Zhang, Erik Hedenström and Hans-Erik Högberg

Forests 2023, 14(6), 1187; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061187 - 08 Jun 2023

Viewed by 877

Abstract

The pine sawfly Diprion jingyuanensis Xiao and Zhang (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) is a serious pest of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. in the Shanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia provinces in P. R. China. The sex pheromone of D. jingyuanensis was shown to be the propionate ester of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol. Virgin females contained an approximate 1:3 blend of the pheromone precursors erythro-(2S,3S,7R/S and 2R,3R,7R/S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol and threo-(2S,3R,7R/S and 2R,3S,7R/S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol, but the exact stereoisomers were not determined. Males responded the strongest to the propionate ester of the two threo-isomers, (2S,3R,7R) and (2S,3R,7S), in electroantennogram (EAG) recordings, followed by a significant EAG response to the (2S,3R,7R) propionate of diprionol (pheromone component of D. similis), whereas the remaining two isomers (2S,3S,7S and 2S,3S,7R) of the propionate ester of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol and the acetate of the (2S,3R,7R) isomer (one of the two pheromone components of D. pini) did not elicit any significant increase in antennal response. In the field, the strongly EAG-active (2S,3R,7R)-isomer alone was only weakly (but significantly) attractive to D. jingyuanensis males at 100 µg, while the equally EAG- active (2S,3R,7S)-isomer alone at the same loading was 8–14 times more attractive than was the (2S,3R,7R)-isomer alone. Traps baited with the same amounts of the two threo-isomers ((2S,3R,7R) and (2S,3R,7S), 100 µg + 100 µg) caught significantly more males than did traps baited with other isomers, either of the two isomers alone or other proportions of the two isomers. Thus, the (2S,3R,7S)-isomer is considered as a strong and essential sex-attractant component for D. jingyuanensis males, whereas the (2S,3R,7R)-isomer is a weak but synergistic sex-attractant. This is one of the few examples of a pine sawfly responding significantly stronger to a binary blend of stereoisomers in a synergistic fashion than to a single stereoisomer alone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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14 pages, 1889 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Testing the Efficiency of the Push-and-Pull Strategy during Severe Ips typographus Outbreak and Extreme Drought in Norway Spruce Stands

by Rastislav Jakuš, Roman Modlinger, Jaroslav Kašpar, Andrej Majdák, Miroslav Blaženec, Nataliya Korolyova, Anna Jirošová and Fredrik Schlyter

Forests 2022, 13(12), 2175; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122175 - 18 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1491

Abstract

Protection of Norway spruce stands using anti-attractants was tested during an outbreak of bark beetles (Ips typographus) in their spring flight. The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to test the proposed experimental design for tree protection; (2) to evaluate height-specific alternatives for dispenser installation on trees; and (3) to evaluate the efficiency of tree protection measures using anti-attractants under bark beetle infestation and drought stress. The experiment was conducted at the forest edges adjacent to recent clearcuts on 10 blocks in the eastern Czech Republic. Each block had three adjacent experimental areas, with 20 trees growing in two rows at the recently cut forest edge (10 trees per row). In front of a block in each of the three areas, four pheromone traps were installed. The treatment area was protected by anti-attractants. The second area served as a so-called switch area, where beetles from the treatment area, as the outflux redirected from the anti-attractant, would start new attacks if not caught in nearby pheromone traps. The third area was a control. We attached anti-attractant tube dispensers on each tree trunk of the treated area at two heights. The results suggest a redirecting effect of anti-attractants, pushing beetles into the switch area and causing subsequent attacks, which was greater than in areas containing treated trees. There was no difference between two dispensers placed at 1 and 8 m height and both at 1 m. A switching effect of beetle attacks occurring outside of the treated areas was observed. Mounting anti-attractant dispensers on tree trunks at one low position above the ground can be substantially less labour-intensive and as efficient as positioning them at two different heights. For areas affected by severe drought and extremely dense bark beetle populations, the use of anti-attractants did not prove effective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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17 pages, 2515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Volatiles from Eucalyptus Trunks and Forest Floor Humus Influence the Habitat Transfer, Host Selection, and Aggregation of Endoclita signifer Larvae

by Yuan Xu, Zhisong Qiu, Yujing Zhang, Xialin Zheng, Wen Lu and Ping Hu

Forests 2022, 13(12), 2058; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122058 - 03 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1537

Abstract

Endoclita signifer is a major wood-boring pest of eucalyptus trees in China, and its third instar larvae can accurately find and infest eucalyptus trees in mixed-species forests, although it can also feed on another 51 tree species in the same planted area. A total of 34 volatile compounds were identified from eucalyptus trunks, including non-infested and infested trunks with single or multiple (more than three) larval entrance cover packets, and forest floor humus. Of these, o-cymene showed a strong gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) activity and significant attraction of the third instar E. signifer larvae. Higher abundance of alpha-phellandrene, o-cymene, and the unique 2-phenyl-2-propanol in the volatile profile from infested eucalyptus trunks indicated that they were herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). The larvae showed significantly higher attraction to volatile blends, especially those from infested eucalyptus trunks, than to single volatiles. A blend of the three HIPVs, α-pinene, D-limonene, and n-butyl ether may serve as an attractant for the control of E. signifer larvae in eucalyptus plantations. Further, exposure of third instar E. signifer larvae to some of these volatiles which also elicited electroantennogram and behavioral responses, influenced expressions of some olfactory proteins. Our results show that third instar E. signifer larvae can recognize o-cymene from host eucalyptus trunks and are attracted to the trunk by the three HIPVs when they shift their habitats from the forest floor humus to the tree trunks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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Review

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38 pages, 2320 KiB

Open AccessReview

Composition of Attractant Semiochemicals of North American Species of Dendroctonus Bark Beetles: A Review

by Brian T. Sullivan

Forests 2024, 15(4), 642; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15040642 - 31 Mar 2024

Viewed by 617

Abstract

The 19 species of Dendroctonus bark beetles native to North America include several of the most significant biotic mortality agents of conifers in this region, and they have impacted millions of hectares of forest in recent decades. Semiochemical attractants play several vital roles in the biology of these insects including host finding, host assessment, and mate finding. They are key to the virulence of these insects, since they mediate the mass attacks that enable killing and reproduction within healthy trees. These attractants consist of combinations of thirteen identified pheromone components in three primary chemical classes and at least ten host-associated compounds dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons in host defensive resin. Due to their potential for use in pest management technologies, semiochemical attractants for Dendroctonus have received extensive research into their chemical compositions and effects on insect behavior. This paper is intended as a synthesis of this research over the past 60 years as well as a critical examination of approaches to investigation of this topic and interpretation of experimental results. Its purpose is to assist practitioners in formulating suitable attractive lures for use in applications and identify gaps in knowledge of the semiochemistry of Dendroctonus that should be addressed if the practical potential of attractants is to be fully realized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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26 pages, 2022 KiB

Open AccessReview

Life History Traits of the Pentatomidae (Hemiptera) for the Development of Pest Management Tools

by Elisa Pal, Jeremy D. Allison, Brett P. Hurley, Bernard Slippers and Gerda Fourie

Forests 2023, 14(5), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14050861 - 22 Apr 2023

Viewed by 3469

Abstract

Knowledge of the biology of a pest is essential for building sustainable management programmes. Pentatomidae have a hemimetabolous life cycle with egg, nymphal, and adult life stages, which differ in morphological, ecological, and behavioural traits. Some of these traits, such as mating behaviour, pheromones (alarm and aggregation pheromones) and the acquisition of gut symbionts can be targeted for pest management strategies. Here, we review the available literature on these life history traits of the Pentatomidae with potential for use in management programmes. Pheromone-mediated aggregation and the disruption of symbiont acquisition are two important targets for Pentatomidae control. Other traits such as the use of alarm pheromones for enhancing natural enemies and substrate-borne vibration for mating disruption deserve further consideration. Colour vision and flight ability are still poorly studied, despite their potential importance for stink bug management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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15 pages, 7338 KiB

Open AccessReview

Applied Chemical Ecology of the Western Pine Beetle, an Important Pest of Ponderosa Pine in Western North America

by Christopher J. Fettig, Jackson P. Audley, Crystal S. Homicz and Robert A. Progar

Forests 2023, 14(4), 757; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14040757 - 07 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1339

Abstract

Western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte) is a major cause of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws.) mortality in western North America. Twenty-first century epidemics are among the largest in history and have affected hundreds of thousands of hectares. We synthesize literature on the chemical ecology of western pine beetle and on efforts to exploit our understanding of the western pine beetle-ponderosa pine system to reduce host tree losses. This literature dates back to the early 20th century and focuses on populations in California and Oregon, U.S., where western pine beetle exerts its largest impacts. Research in the 1960s–1970s yielded an effective semiochemical attractant (exo-brevicomin, frontalin, and myrcene) that helped inform understanding of the biology, ecology, and management of this species. Later, research focused on isolation and identification of semiochemical repellents. To date, Verbenone Plus (acetophenone, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol + (Z)-2-hexen-1-ol, and verbenone) is the only semiochemical repellent demonstrated effective for protecting ponderosa pines from mortality attributed to western pine beetle in multiple studies in Canada and the U.S. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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8 pages, 1078 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Monoterpene Composition of Phloem of Eastern Larch (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) in the Great Lakes Region: With What Must the Eastern Larch Beetle (Dendroctonus simplex LeConte) Contend?

by Emily R. Althoff, Thomas J. O’Loughlin, David A. Wakarchuk, Kelly G. Aukema and Brian H. Aukema

Forests 2023, 14(3), 566; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030566 - 13 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1321

Abstract

The eastern larch beetle (Dendroctonus simplex LeConte) is the only tree-killing bark beetle that colonizes tamarack, or eastern larch, (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) in the Great Lakes region. Historically, outbreaks have been intermittent and of short duration, frequently following predisposing factors such as drought or defoliation. However, over the past two decades, this insect has been in a perpetual state of outbreak in parts of the U.S. Great Lakes region, a deviation from historic norms. From 2001–2021, the insect impacted 300,000 ha, or 60% of the tamarack forests in Minnesota. This activity has prompted renewed interest in the beetle’s chemical ecology, including aspects of host semiochemistry. While foliar chemistry has been well documented in L. laricina, characterization of the monoterpene composition of the phloem has been lacking. We collected phloem samples from 56 tamarack trees across 14 locations in Wisconsin and Minnesota and assessed the relative abundances of the major monoterpenes present using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Individual terpenoid components identified included α-pinene (39.4%) and ∆-3-carene (30.0%) followed by several other components in small (<8%) amounts. This knowledge provides a basis for future testing of monoterpene synergists or antagonists in pheromone lures targeting eastern larch beetle and/or its natural enemies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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8 pages, 860 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Evidence of Pheromone Use in a Fulgorid, Spotted Lanternfly

by Hajar Faal, Miriam F. Cooperband, Isaiah Canlas and Daniel Carrillo

Forests 2022, 13(10), 1639; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101639 - 07 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2109

Abstract

The spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) is a polyphagous, phloem-feeding invasive forest, agricultural, and nuisance pest that is rapidly spreading through the U.S. Little is known about how fulgorids locate each other to mate. To determine if conspecific semiochemicals such as pheromones occur, whole body extracts (WBE) of adult spotted lanternflies from different physiological states were tested for attraction in a dual-choice olfactometer. In olfactometer assays, prior to mating, males were oriented to WBE from males and females. During their mating period, males were attracted to WBE of females, but not to that of males. After mating and oviposition had taken place, males were not attracted to either male or female extracts. Conversely, females did not orient to any WBE from either sex during any physiological state. These behavioral responses by males but not females to WBE from conspecifics in different physiological states suggest the possible presence of an aggregation-sex pheromone in the spotted lanternfly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects)

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