Characteristics of Trees Infested by the Invasive Primary Wood-Borer Aromia bungii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Abstract

The expanding distribution and tree damage of the invasive, primary wood-borer Aromia bungii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), which kills trees of the Rosaceae family, is a problem in intruded areas. However, the tree characteristics associated with infestation by A. bungii, which are useful for early detection or prioritizing preventive measures, are not well examined. We investigated the presence or absence of tree damage (response variable) in pre- and post- surveys along with tree characteristics (four explanatory variables; bark roughness, size, species, and vigor) on monitoring trees in uninvaded sites (survey for the first trees to be damaged) and already invaded sites (survey for the next trees to be damaged). We evaluated the variables using generalized linear mixed models for each site (i.e., a first trees model and a next trees model). Three tree characteristics (bark roughness, size, and vigor) were included as explanatory variables in both best models, indicating that trees with rough surface bark, large in size, and weakened conditions were more susceptible to A. bungii infestation. The reasons for the difference between the two models (species was only chosen in the next trees model) will be considered in our future work.

Characteristics of teak trees and stands driving infestations by Xyleutes ceramica (Walker, 1865) (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) in plantations in Thailand

“…Accordingly, several studies on bark‐ and wood‐boring insects have also reported that infested trees are usually larger, as large trees can provide more food sources (Ferrenberg, 2016; Korolyova et al., 2022). Furthermore, there are reports on the positive effects of tree size on the landing rate of adults (Yamamoto et al., 2022). As tree height exhibited only a weak effect in the present study, X. ceramica is mostly attracted to thicker trees with vigorous secondary growth that provide more food from inner bark tissue and sapwood.…”

“…Therefore, to prevent and minimize losses from pest infestations, detailed knowledge of the bionomy and habitat requirements of pests is crucial for adopting specific silvicultural and technical control measures at different stages of forest rotation. In relation to the ecological requirements of bark‐ and wood‐boring insects, previous studies of various species have reported that information concerning tree and stand characteristics related to infestation, such as tree size (Nelson et al., 2017; Suksavate et al., 2021), tree vitality (Hlásny et al., 2021; Kašák & Foit, 2018), bark roughness (Ferrenberg & Mitton, 2014; Yamamoto et al., 2022), microclimate (Holuša et al., 2021), understorey gradient (Cizek & Vodka, 2013), stand edge/interior ratio (Majdák et al., 2021), stand age, density and species composition (Marini et al., 2022; Sproull et al., 2015), is essential. Moreover, studies have reported the characteristics of host trees susceptible to infestation by several cossid species; for example, Cossus cossus (Linnaeus, 1758) was found to prefer to attack larger, more damaged and more stressed trees with cracked bark (Kaplan & Turanlı, 2018; Turundaevskaya, 1992).…”