Ecological implications of Laurel Wilt infestation on Everglades Tree Islands, southern Florida

Snyder, James R.

doi:10.3133/ofr20141225

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Impact of laurel wilt disease, especially on mature trees, has been extensive resulting in tree populations that are highly biased towards the smallest trunk diameters. These results are consistent with other studies [1,14] that also reported populations of redbay are highly biased toward the smallest trunk diameters. Apparently, these small saplings (or possibly underground suckers attached to the roots of nearby mature trees) are too small for effective colonization of X. glabratus and, hence, spread of the fungus to these diminutive individuals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Although laurel wilt disease was only introduced to U.S. in the last 15-20 years, it has rapidly spread throughout the southeastern states including Georgia and Florida; besides redbay and swampbay, laurel wilt has spread to other native members of the Lauraceae including silkbay (P. humilis), sassafras (Sassafras albidium), and pondspice [1,13,16]. Results from the current study are consistent with other reports documenting the disease as it infests and moves through an area or ecosystem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Laurel wilt disease is a generally fatal infection caused by a non-native fungus (Raffaelea lauricola) that is spread from tree to tree by the exotic redbay ambrosia beetle (RAB) (Xyleborus glabratus). Trees are inoculated with the fungus during gallery formation by adult beetles; females lay eggs in these galleries and the beetle larvae feed on the fungal hyphae -eventually fungal growth plugs the water-conducting xylem vessels of the plant causing the leaves to brown and wilt; typically, the tree will eventually die from the infection [1,2]. Unlike leaf abscission in which the leaves develop a characteristic abscission zone and change color (as chlorophyll production ceases and secondary pigments such as carotenoids and anthocyanins become visible) and they are retained on the stem by the vascular tissue until wind or abrasion causes them to drop, laurel wilt kills the leaf by restricting its water supply causing the leaf to brown and die on the stem [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the stand size of bay trees (Persea spp.) after exposure to laurel wilt disease in a North Florida Preserve

Rossi¹,

Bentzien²

2019

J Plant Sci Phytopathol

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Although laurel wilt disease was fi rst reported in the United States in 2002 from redbay trees (Persea borbonia) around Savannah, Georgia it has rapidly spread throughout the southeastern coastal plain including Georgia and Florida. In the current study, transects were used to assess the spread and impact of the disease on two native bay trees redbay (P. borbonia) and swampbay (P. palustris) from north Florida in a semi-naturalized ecological preserve. Although tree size and mortality rates have been reported previously, this study provides the fi rst size-based static life tables for both species. While a signifi cantly higher percent (76%) of swampbay trees exhibited signs of laurel wilt disease compared to redbay trees (62%); redbay had more of its canopy damaged by the disease (41% vs. 32% for redbay vs. swampbay respectively); this resulted in a signifi cantly smaller stem diameter for P. borbonia compared to swampbay, both species are experiencing signifi cant declines due to the disease. Both species exhibited a Type III survivorship curve in which the vast majority of individuals were in the smallest size class (average stem diameter was only 2.5 and 3.6 cm for redbay and swampbay respectively). Although traditionally, population age (or size) structure that is heavily biased toward younger or smaller size classes suggests that the population is likely to expand in the future, for these bay trees high mortality rate due to beetle/fungal infestation of larger size classes is responsible for this trend; the smallest size classes are largely free from beetle infestation and laurel wilt disease because the stem diameter is likely insuffi cient to support beetle development. Results from this study suggest that swampbay is also highly susceptible to laurel wilt disease and its populations are likely to exhibit a similar (albeit slower) decline in Florida's wetland and mesic ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the stand size of bay trees (Persea spp.) after exposure to laurel wilt disease in a North Florida Preserve

Rossi¹,

Bentzien²

2019

J Plant Sci Phytopathol

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“…Some of the fungi turned out to be pathogenic and have killed millions of naive host trees. In the 10 years since the invasion into the southeastern United States of the Asian beetle Xyleborus glabratus and its previously unknown mycobiont Raffaelea lauricola, over 500 million trees in the family Lauraceae have been killed (94). Avocado production in Florida and elsewhere is also at risk (94).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the 10 years since the invasion into the southeastern United States of the Asian beetle Xyleborus glabratus and its previously unknown mycobiont Raffaelea lauricola, over 500 million trees in the family Lauraceae have been killed (94). Avocado production in Florida and elsewhere is also at risk (94). This was impossible to predict because there was no information about these species before they became invasive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ambrosia Symbiosis: From Evolutionary Ecology to Practical Management

Hulcr

Stelinski

2017

Annu. Rev. Entomol.

267

224

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The ambrosia beetle-fungus farming symbiosis is more heterogeneous than previously thought. There is not one but many ambrosia symbioses. Beetle-fungus specificity is clade dependent and ranges from strict to promiscuous. Each new origin has evolved a new mycangium. The most common relationship with host trees is colonization of freshly dead tissues, but there are also parasites of living trees, vectors of pathogenic fungi, and beetles living in rotten trees with a wood-decay symbiont. Most of these strategies are driven by fungal metabolism whereas beetle ecology is evolutionarily more flexible. The ambrosia lifestyle facilitated a radiation of social strategies, from fungus thieves to eusocial species to communities assembled by attraction to fungal scent. Although over 95% of the symbiotic pairs are economically harmless, there are also three types of pest damage: tree pathogen inoculation, mass accumulation on susceptible hosts, and structural damage. Beetles able to colonize live tree tissues are most likely to become invasive pests.

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Impacts of Invasive Species in Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems in the United States

Mayfield

Seybold

Haag

et al. 2021

Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States

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The introduction, establishment, and spread of invasive species in terrestrial and aquatic environments is widely recognized as one of the most serious threats to the health, sustainability, and productivity of native ecosystems (Holmes et al. 2009; Mack et al. 2000; Pyšek et al. 2012; USDA Forest Service 2013). In the United States, invasive species are the second leading cause of native species endangerment and extinction, and their costs to society have been estimated at $120 billion annually (Crowl et al. 2008; Pimentel et al. 2000, 2005). These costs include lost production and revenue from agricultural and forest products, compromised use of waterways and terrestrial habitats, harm to human and animal health, reduced property values and recreational opportunities, and diverse costs associated with managing (e.g., monitoring, preventing, controlling, and regulating) invasive species (Aukema et al. 2011; Pimentel et al. 2005). The national significance of these economic, ecological, and social impacts in the United States has prompted various actions by both legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government (e.g., the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990; the Noxious Weed Control and Eradication Act of 2002; Executive Order 13112 of 1999, amended in 2016).

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Ecological implications of Laurel Wilt infestation on Everglades Tree Islands, southern Florida

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Assessing the stand size of bay trees (Persea spp.) after exposure to laurel wilt disease in a North Florida Preserve

Assessing the stand size of bay trees (Persea spp.) after exposure to laurel wilt disease in a North Florida Preserve

The Ambrosia Symbiosis: From Evolutionary Ecology to Practical Management

Impacts of Invasive Species in Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems in the United States

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