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The lodgepole × jack pine hybrid zone in Alberta, Canada: a stepping stone for the mountain pine beetle on its journey east across the boreal forest?

The lodgepole × jack pine hybrid zone in Alberta, Canada: a stepping stone for the mountain pine beetle on its journey east across the boreal forest?
The lodgepole × jack pine hybrid zone in Alberta, Canada: a stepping stone for the mountain pine beetle on its journey east across the boreal forest?
Historical data show that outbreaks of the tree killing mountain pine beetle are often preceded by periods of drought. Global climate change impacts drought frequency and severity and is implicated in the range expansion of the mountain pine beetle into formerly unsuitable habitats. Its expanded range has recently reached the lodgepole × jack pine hybrid zone in central Alberta, Canada, which could act as a transition from its historical lodgepole pine host to a jack pine host present in the boreal forest. This field study tested the effects of water limitation on chemical defenses of mature trees against mountain pine beetle-associated microorganisms and on beetle brood success in lodgepole × jack pine hybrid trees. Tree chemical defenses as measured by monoterpene emission from tree boles and monoterpene concentration in needles were greater in trees that experienced water deficit compared to well-watered trees. Myrcene was identified as specific defensive compound, since it significantly increased upon inoculation with dead mountain pine beetles. Beetles reared in bolts from trees that experienced water deficit emerged with a higher fat content, demonstrating for the first time experimentally that drought conditions benefit mountain pine beetles. Further, our study demonstrated that volatile chemical emission from tree boles and phloem chemistry place the hybrid tree chemotype in-between lodgepole pine and jack pine, which might facilitate the host shift from lodgepole pine to jack pine.
mountain pine beetle, range expansion, drought, tree defenses, beetle condition
0098-0331
Lusebrink, Inka
f10f0d44-d917-4efc-a260-928fc1f06896
Erbilgin, Nadir
7c5a6ea2-5bd8-456a-b888-7d25adb04ea0
Evenden, Maya L.
d2b4fd99-bd29-4480-8fca-36a08903c0f2
Lusebrink, Inka
f10f0d44-d917-4efc-a260-928fc1f06896
Erbilgin, Nadir
7c5a6ea2-5bd8-456a-b888-7d25adb04ea0
Evenden, Maya L.
d2b4fd99-bd29-4480-8fca-36a08903c0f2

Lusebrink, Inka, Erbilgin, Nadir and Evenden, Maya L. (2013) The lodgepole × jack pine hybrid zone in Alberta, Canada: a stepping stone for the mountain pine beetle on its journey east across the boreal forest? Journal of Chemical Ecology. (doi:10.1007/s10886-013-0334-8). (PMID:23955061)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Historical data show that outbreaks of the tree killing mountain pine beetle are often preceded by periods of drought. Global climate change impacts drought frequency and severity and is implicated in the range expansion of the mountain pine beetle into formerly unsuitable habitats. Its expanded range has recently reached the lodgepole × jack pine hybrid zone in central Alberta, Canada, which could act as a transition from its historical lodgepole pine host to a jack pine host present in the boreal forest. This field study tested the effects of water limitation on chemical defenses of mature trees against mountain pine beetle-associated microorganisms and on beetle brood success in lodgepole × jack pine hybrid trees. Tree chemical defenses as measured by monoterpene emission from tree boles and monoterpene concentration in needles were greater in trees that experienced water deficit compared to well-watered trees. Myrcene was identified as specific defensive compound, since it significantly increased upon inoculation with dead mountain pine beetles. Beetles reared in bolts from trees that experienced water deficit emerged with a higher fat content, demonstrating for the first time experimentally that drought conditions benefit mountain pine beetles. Further, our study demonstrated that volatile chemical emission from tree boles and phloem chemistry place the hybrid tree chemotype in-between lodgepole pine and jack pine, which might facilitate the host shift from lodgepole pine to jack pine.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 17 August 2013
Keywords: mountain pine beetle, range expansion, drought, tree defenses, beetle condition
Organisations: Centre for Biological Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 356294
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/356294
ISSN: 0098-0331
PURE UUID: aa83288d-858e-481e-8f11-7478310290b2

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Date deposited: 17 Sep 2013 12:40
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 14:47

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Contributors

Author: Inka Lusebrink
Author: Nadir Erbilgin
Author: Maya L. Evenden

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