Invasion of an inconspicuous ambrosia beetle and fungus may affect wood decay in Southeastern North America

Hulcr, Jiří; Gomez, Demian F.; Skelton, James; Johnson, Andrew J.; Adams, Sawyer; Li, You; Jusino, Michelle A.; Smith, Matthew

doi:10.1007/s10530-020-02448-6

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Finally, the fact that in mesic California forest environments, P. gigantea was found on logs of three different host species, including an angiosperm, indicates that the fungus has the potential to spread in mesic natural ecosystems way beyond the pine hosts on which it would be mostly employed to prevent infection by Heterobasidion. This generalism is a further reason to exercise caution in the use of P. gigantea as a biocontrol [84]: the use of exotic isolates, in fact, could easily result in their spread and in the possible displacement of native less fit isolates [85], with unpredictable ecological and evolutionary consequences [61,86].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inter- and Intra-Continental Genetic Variation in the Generalist Conifer Wood Saprobic Fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea

Dovana

Gonthier

Garbelotto

2021

Forests

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Phlebiopsis gigantea (Fr.) Jülich is a well-known generalist conifer wood saprobe and a biocontrol fungus used in several world countries to prevent stump infection by tree pathogenic Heterobasidion fungal species. Previous studies have reported the presence of regional and continental genetic differentiation in host-specific fungi, but the presence of such differentiation for generalist wood saprobes such as P. gigantea has not been often studied or demonstrated. Additionally, little information exists on the distribution of this fungus in western North America. The main purposes of this study were: (I) to assess the presence of P. gigantea in California, (II) to explore the genetic variability of P. gigantea at the intra and inter-continental levels and (III) to analyze the phylogeographic relationships between American and European populations. Seven loci (nrITS, ML5–ML6, ATP6, RPB1, RPB2, GPD and TEF1-α) from 26 isolates of P. gigantea from coniferous forests in diverse geographic distribution and from different hosts were analyzed in this study together with 45 GenBank sequences. One hundred seventy-four new sequences were generated using either universal or specific primers designed in this study. The mitochondrial ML5–ML6 DNA and ATP6 regions were highly conserved and did not show differences between any of the isolates. Conversely, DNA sequences from the ITS, RPB1, RPB2, GPD and TEF1-α loci were variable among samples. Maximum likelihood analysis of GPD and TEF1-α strongly supported the presences of two different subgroups within the species but without congruence or geographic partition, suggesting the presence of retained ancestral polymorphisms. RPB1 and RPB2 sequences separated European isolates from American ones, while the GPD locus separated western North American samples from eastern North American ones. This study reports the presence of P. gigantea in California for the first time using DNA-based confirmation and identifies two older genetically distinct subspecific groups, as well as three genetically differentiated lineages within the species: one from Europe, one from eastern North America and one from California, with the latter presumably including individuals from the rest of western North America. The genetic differentiation identified here among P. gigantea individuals from coniferous forests from different world regions indicates that European isolates of this fungus should not be used in North America (or vice versa), and, likewise, commercially available eastern North American P. gigantea isolates should not be used in western North America forests. The reported lack of host specificity of P. gigantea was documented by the field survey and further reinforces the need to only use local isolates of this biocontrol fungus, given that genetically distinct exotic genotypes of a broad generalist microbe may easily spread and permanently alter the microbial biodiversity of native forest ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inter- and Intra-Continental Genetic Variation in the Generalist Conifer Wood Saprobic Fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea

Dovana

Gonthier

Garbelotto

2021

Forests

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“…None of the following variables was significantly correlated with captures: maximum relative humidity (r = +0.16), minimum relative humidity (r = -0.13), average relative humidity (r = +0.02), average wind speed (r = +0. 19), maximum barometric pressure (r = +0.12), minimum barometric pressure (r = -0.07), and average barometric pressure (r = +0.10).…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ambrosia beetles could also cause ecological damage by seeding the spread of microbes, including their primary ambrosia fungus, secondary fungi, nematodes (17), mites, and bacteria (18). Fungi transported by ambrosia beetles can dramatically alter the natural progression of wood decomposition (19, 20) and could be phytopathogenic (21, 22). Geosmithia morbida (Ascomycota), the fungal pathogen that causes Thousand Cankers Disease in walnut trees ( Juglans spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trapping the exotic weevilCnestus mutilatuswith Isopropanol

Justice,

Justice

2023

Preprint

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The ambrosia beetle Cnestus mutilatus Blandford, 1894 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) is native to Asia and is currently an exotic species in North America. This study tested whether this species can be trapped with isopropanol as bait. Lindgren multiple-funnel traps were deployed in the piedmont of south-central Virginia, USA. The experimental traps had isopropanol in the collection cups. For comparison, other traps had ethanol or soapy water. Both alcohols were effective for trapping C. mutilatus. More specimens were captured using ethanol. Isopropanol and ethanol may play similar roles in the chemical ecology of ambrosia beetles.

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“…When invasive species arrive to a new location, they may establish symbiotic interactions with resident organisms ( Cleland & Mooney, 2001 ). New symbiotic interactions have allowed some invasive species to increase population size, expand their geographic range, or disrupt the presence of native species and natural enemies, among other possible scenarios ( Simberloff & Holle, 1999 ; Wilder et al, 2011 ; Traveset & Richardson, 2014 ; Prior et al, 2015 ; Meijer et al, 2016 ; Hulcr et al, 2021 ). In particular, mutualisms between native and invasive species or among invasive species may ecologically facilitate biological invasions ( Helms & Vinson, 2003 ; Daane et al, 2007 ; Green et al, 2011 ; Rassati, Marini & Malacrino, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the impacts of symbiotic interactions between two invasive species: the tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) tending the sorghum aphid (Melanaphis sorghi)

Holt

Malacrinò

Medina

2022

PeerJ

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The establishment of new symbiotic interactions between introduced species may facilitate invasion success. For instance, tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva Mayr) is known to be an opportunistic tender of honeydew producing insects and this ants’ symbiotic interactions have exacerbated agricultural damage in some invaded regions of the world. The invasive sorghum aphid (Melanaphis sorghi Theobald) was first reported as a pest in the continental United States–in Texas and Louisiana–as recent as 2013, and tawny crazy ant (TCA) was reported in Texas in the early 2000s. Although these introductions are relatively recent, TCA workers tend sorghum aphids in field and greenhouse settings. This study quantified the tending duration of TCA workers to sorghum aphids and the impact of TCA tending on aphid biomass. For this study aphids were collected from three different host plant species (i.e., sugarcane, Johnson grass, and sorghum) and clone colonies were established. Sorghum is the main economic crop in which these aphids occur, hence we focused our study on the potential impacts of interactions on sorghum. Quantification of invasive ant-aphid interactions, on either stems or leaves of sorghum plants, were conducted in greenhouse conditions. Our results show that although these two invasive insect species do not have a long coevolutionary history, TCA developed a tending interaction with sorghum aphid, and aphids were observed excreting honeydew after being antennated by TCA workers. Interestingly, this relatively recent symbiotic interaction significantly increased overall aphid biomass for aphids that were positioned on stems and collected from Johnson grass. It is recommended to continue monitoring the interaction between TCA and sorghum aphid in field conditions due to its potential to increase aphid populations and sorghum plant damage.

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Invasion of an inconspicuous ambrosia beetle and fungus may affect wood decay in Southeastern North America

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

Inter- and Intra-Continental Genetic Variation in the Generalist Conifer Wood Saprobic Fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea

Inter- and Intra-Continental Genetic Variation in the Generalist Conifer Wood Saprobic Fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea

Trapping the exotic weevilCnestus mutilatuswith Isopropanol

Quantifying the impacts of symbiotic interactions between two invasive species: the tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) tending the sorghum aphid (Melanaphis sorghi)

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