Conditions of spruce (Picea excelsa Lk.) infestation by the engraver beetle (Ips typographus L.) in mountains of Poland

Abstract

The engraver beetle, Ips typographus L., is the most dangerous pest of spruce in mountain forests of South Poland. Recognized was the fact that this insect infests first of all trees attacked by the parasitic honey fungus, Armillaria mellea. The paper presents comparison of chemical composition and number of certain components of volatile oils from healthy trees and those attacked by the honey fungus, from areas in which this bark beetle and fungus occur chronically, and from areas where honey fungus does not occur and the beetle only sporadically. Ascertained was increased production of volatile oils by trees in the initial phase of fungus attack, as well as significant changes in the chemical composition of such oils compared to those from healthy spruce trees. Zusammenfassung Dispositionsfaktoren bei Picea excelsa Lk. für den Befall von Ips typographus L. in Polen ‐ I. Chemische Zusammensetzung der ätherischen Öle von gesunden und pilzbefallenen Stämmen Der Buchdrucker (Ips typographus L.) ist der gefährlichste Schädling von Fichten in den Gebirgswäldern von Südpolen. Es ist bekannt, daß er in erster Linie Bäume heimsucht, die von dem parasitischen Pilz Hallimasch (Armillaria mellea [Vahl.] Quél.) angegriffen sind. In der Arbeit wird Vorkommen und chemische Zusammensetzung der ätherischen Öle, die aus den Fichtennadeln von gesunden und vom Hallimasch befallenen Fichten gewonnen wurden, besprochen. Es wird auch ein Vergleich zwischen den auftretenden Komponenten dieser Öle durchgeführt. Untersucht wurden Fichten aus Gebieten, in denen der Buchdrucker sowie Hallimasch chronisch auftreten, und aus Gegenden, in denen sowohl der Pilz wie auch der Buchdrucker nur selten vorkommen. Es wurde festgestellt, daß im Vergleich zu gesunden Bäumen der Hallimasch in der Anfangsphase des Angriffs eine größere Produktion ätherischer Öle und während der Krankheit wichtige Veränderungen in der chemischen Zusammensetzung dieser Öle verursacht.

Epidemiology, Biotic Interactions and Biological Control of Armillarioids in the Northern Hemisphere

“…The subsequent beetle invasion kills the tree and provides a substrate source for the saprotrophic stage of Armillaria [ 236 ]. The results of an early study by Madziara-Borusiewicz and Strzelecka [ 217 ] seem to back up this hypothesis: The authors found that increased volatile oil amounts of changed chemical composition were produced in spruce needles during the initial phase of Armillaria colonization, which was then followed by Ips invasion. Among the detected volatile oils, myrtenol is known as one of the main components of attractants and aggregation pheromones of certain bark beetles, suggesting that attraction of engraver beetles by the tree may be connected with the production of host volatiles affected by Armillaria [ 217 ].…”

“…Insect pests that are highly destructive in Northern Hemisphere forests, like gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar ), maple webworm ( Tetralopha asperatella ), eastern and western spruce budworm ( Choristoneura fumiferana and Choristoneura occidentalis , respectively), oak leaf tier ( Acleris semipurpurana ), linden looper ( Erranis tiliaria ), larch casebearer ( Coleophora laricella ), European spruce needleminer ( Epinotia nanaxa ), saddled prominent caterpillar ( Heterocampa guttavitta ), Warren’s rootcollar weevil ( Hylobius warreni ), balsam woolly adelgid ( Adelges piceae ), twolined chestnut borer ( Agrilus bilineatus ), mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae ), western balsam bark beetle ( Dryocoetes confusus ), fir engraver ( Scolytus ventralis ), spruce wood engraver ( Pityogenes chalcographus ), eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle ( Ips typographus ) or double-spined bark beetle ( Ips duplicatus ) may also be associated with armillarioid root rot ([ 183 , 194 , 195 , 205 , 206 , 207 , 208 , 209 , 210 , 211 , 212 , 213 , 214 , 215 , 216 , 217 , 218 , 219 , 220 , 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 , 227 , 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 , 234 , 235 ], Table 1 ). Most of the reports about Armillaria -insect co-occurrence presumed that defoliating insects (e.g., gypsy moth, maple webworm, eastern spr...…”

Merocoenoses of cambioxylophagous insect fauna of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) with focus on bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and types of tree damage in different gradation conditions

“…Standing trees with roots infested by tree fungal pathogens are a subject of disturbance through physiological stress. Th is leads to changes in the quality and quantity of bark and phloem (Rudinski 1966;Renwick, Vité 1972;Madziara-Borusiewicz, Strzelecka 1977) and consequent negative impacts on tree health and stability of forest stands. Th e Beskids region is characterized by the frequent occurrence of fungal pathogens associated with spruce, species of the genus Armillaria being the most important among them.…”

Picea abies–Armillaria–Ips: A Strategy or Coincidence?

“…Such a signal is believed to be produced in trees infected by Armillaria, but not by Armillaria itself. It has long been recognized that differences in chemical composition of volatile oils are found in the needles between healthy spruces and those affected by this pathogen [40]. Nevertheless, Armillaria infection is associated with changes in terpenoids and phenyl propanoids in the phloem of Pinus contorta Dougl.…”