Submit to Forests Review for Forests Edit a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Diagnostics of Forest Pest Insects"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 5691

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maarten De Groot

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Forest Protection, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Vecna Pot 2, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
Interests: diagnostics of forest pests; forest entomology; invasive alien species; forest ecosystems; biodiversity

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

In the last decennia, global trade and climate change have increased the introduction of invasive alien species and increased the impact of eruptive forest pests on the forests over the world. The first step to take action against forest pests is to identify which species they are. In recent years, more and more effort is being focused on developing diagnostic tools for the identification of forest pests; however, despite this, taxonomists are being less and less valued for their work. This Special Issue will focus on the diagnostics of forest pest insects. We would like to invite authors to submit their articles dealing with cutting-edge diagnostic methods, less known forest pests which might be problematic in other continents or in their own continents, and global overviews of taxonomic groups of forest pests.

Dr. Maarten De Groot
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Forest Pests
climate change
invasive alien species
diagnostics of forest pest insects
diagnostic methods

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Open AccessArticle

Use of an Arboretum and DNA Barcoding for the Detection and Identification of Leaf-Mining Insects on Alien Woody Plants

Natalia I. Kirichenko

Stanislav Gomboc

Barbara Piškur

and

Maarten de Groot

Forests 2023, 14(3), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030641 - 21 Mar 2023

Viewed by 782

Abstract

Arboreta serve as effective tools for identifying alien insect pests and novel trophic associations. In this study, we used an arboretum in Slovenia to survey woody plants and identify both alien and native leaf miners. The leaves and twigs of 50 woody plant species and their cultivars were examined for characteristic damage. We used an integrative approach that combined identification based on leaf mines and DNA barcoding of the larvae and pupae found in the mines. In total, 62 leaf-mining species were identified, including eight alien species, of which the heliozelid Coptodisca lucifluella (Clemens, 1860) and the agromyzid Cerodontha unisetiorbita Zlobin, 1992 were documented for Slovenia for the first time. Additionally, three presumably native Gracillariidae moths Phyllocnistis labyrinthella (Bjerkander, 1790), P. ramulicola Langmaid & Corley, 2007 and P. saligna (Zeller, 1839) represented the first record for Slovenia. Furthermore, we documented 23 novel-to-science trophic associations, 20 of which involved native insects and alien woody plants, primarily from Asia. This study highlights the importance of arboreta and botanical gardens for the interception of invasive alien insects and the early detection of trophic shifts of native insects to alien plants, which can aid in predicting their potential spread. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Forest Pest Insects)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Specificity and Sensitivity of a Rapid LAMP Assay for Early Detection of Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) in Europe

and

Forests 2023, 14(2), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020436 - 20 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1494

Abstract

Buprestids are an emerging threat to broadleaf forests across the world. Species such as emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis) seriously threaten ash (Fraxinus spp.) in North America and Europe. As it continues spreading west from European Russia, native European ash populations will suffer dramatic losses. Due to their cryptic lifestyle of the egg and larval stages on developing bark and vascular tissue, buprestids and other wood borers can be difficult to detect. Early detection tools are vital to implement fast eradication measures, and prevent the establishment of invasive species populations. Detection methods using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to target specific taxa can be extremely timely to obtain results especially since samples need to be transported to the laboratory first. However, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) eDNA assays are highly specific and sensitive providing results within 30 min after sample extraction. In this study, we investigated the specificity and sensitivity of an EAB LAMP assay as an early detection tool in Europe. The assay was specific to EAB when tested against 12 European Agrilus spp., five buprestids, two Scolytinae, and five cerambycids (n = 24). The LAMP assay sensitivity amplified DNA from a concentration as low as 0.02 pg/µL. These results demonstrate that the LAMP assay is a highly specific, sensitive tool that can be used to detect and monitor EAB in European forests and urban settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Forest Pest Insects)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

First Field Record of the Tropical Red-Banded Thrips Selenothrips rubrocinctus (Thripidae: Panchaetothripinae) in Europe

Andrea Taddei

Gregorio Vono

Gijsbertus Vierbergen

Andrea Wojnar

Matteo Zugno

and

Rita Marullo

Forests 2021, 12(11), 1484; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12111484 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1407

Abstract

Red-banded thrips Selenothrips rubrocinctus is a polyphagous pest widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Various fruit trees such as cacao, cashew, mango, avocado, and guava in certain habitats are attacked. This is the first report of the spontaneous occurrence of outdoor populations of this species of thrips in Europe. This species has been found in northern Italy on Liquidambar styraciflua, Carpinus betulus, and other ornamental forest species in urban areas. Barcode sequences of the Italian specimens were obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Forest Pest Insects)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Attempt to Identify Sex Hormones in the Bodies of Selected Norway Spruce Bark Beetles

Magdalena Kacprzyk

Bartłomiej Bednarz

and

Maciej Choczyński

Forests 2021, 12(5), 536; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12050536 - 26 Apr 2021

Viewed by 1070

Abstract

A gas chromatography technique was applied to the adults of Ips typograhus (L.) and Pityogenes chalcographus (L.) collected from pheromone traps placed in Norway spruce stands in southern Poland in distinguished population swarming periods for the qualitative and quantitative determination of steroid compound differences between insect sexes. Ten not yet identified for bark beetle compounds from the group of sterols, including cholestenone, 4,6-cholestadiene-3-one, choles-4-en-3,6-dione and 17β-Hydroxyandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one benzoate, which can potentially act as gender hormones were detected. The presence of ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone in the bodies of the studied bark beetles was confirmed. However, slight differences in the content of ecdysteroids in the bodies of males and females may be only the remains of the insect’s metamorphosis. Due to the small differences in the extracted compounds between the females and males, their variability in concentrations during the swarming period seems to be useless as a basis for sex determination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Forest Pest Insects)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Diagnostics of Forest Pest Insects"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (4 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI