Introduced plants induce rise of a native pest and facilitate invasion in the plants' native range

Dang, Yingqiao; Wei, Ke; Wang, Xiaoyi; Duan, Jian J.; Jennings, David E.; Poland, Therese M.

doi:10.22541/au.159164094.42431583

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…While these clearwing moths belong to a different order of insects than EAB (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), the larvae of all three attack phloem tissues. Manchurian ash are infested by EAB, with only a few insects managing to mature and reproduce (Dang et al, 2022). Only when a Manchurian ash tree is severely damaged or drought-stressed can EAB infestation kill the tree, similar to the mortality seen from native borers on green ash in North America.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) infestation bioassays and metabolic profiles of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) provide evidence for an induced host defensive response to larval infestation

Stanley,

Carey,

Mason

et al. 2023

Front. For. Glob. Change

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IntroductionLarvae of the invasive emerald ash borer [EAB, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)], kill over 99% of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall) trees they infest, yet a small percentage of green ash (“lingering ash”) survive years of heavy EAB attack. In the face of an ongoing invasion that threatens multiple North American Fraxinus species with extinction, any evidence for reproducible defensive responses in the native species merits investigation.MethodsWe evaluated the capacity of three families of green ash F1 progeny to kill EAB larvae when challenged in greenhouse studies by infestation with a uniform density of EAB eggs followed by dissection 8 weeks post-infestation and comparison of the host metabolomic profiles.ResultsThe mean proportions of host-killed larvae in the two families of F1 progeny from lingering ash parents were significantly higher than that of host-killed larvae in the family of F1 progeny from susceptible ash parents (p < 0.001). Untargeted metabolomics comparing F1 progeny in the quartile with the highest percent host-killed larvae (HHK) to F1 progeny in the quartile with the lowest percent host-killed larvae (LHK) and to the uninfested F1 progeny within each family revealed evidence for induced biochemical responses to EAB. Infested trees produced significantly higher levels of select secoiridoids than uninfested trees, and LHK progeny produced significantly higher levels of select secoiridoids than the HHK progeny. HHK progeny produced significantly higher abundances of three metabolites annotated as aromatic alkaloids than the LHK and uninfested individuals.DiscussionBased on these results, we hypothesize that green ash responds to EAB infestation. However, only certain trees have the genetic capacity to tailor a response that kills enough EAB larvae to prevent lethal damage to the vascular system. Rigorous tests of this hypothesis will require 15–20 years of additional crossing, phenotyping, and omics analyses. The results of this investigation will encourage the establishment and continuation of breeding programs that, in concert with biocontrol and management, could provide trees that slow, if not halt, the decimation of the Fraxinus gene pool. At the same time, ongoing work on host-insect interaction will contribute to our understanding of how forest trees recognize and defend themselves against phloem-feeding insects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%