Occurrence of gypsy moth (<i>Lymantria dispar</i> L.) in the Slovak Republic and its outbreaks during 1945–2020

Zúbrik, Milan; Kunca, Andrej; Kulfan, Ján; Rell, Slavomír; Nikolov, Christo; Galko, Juraj; Vakula, Jozef; Gubka, Andrej; Leontovyč, R.; Konôpka, Bohdan; Lalík, Michal; Longauerová, Valéria; Sitková, Zuzana; Líška, Ján; Zach, Peter; Barta, Marek; Holuša, Jaroslav

doi:10.2478/forj-2021-0007

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Short development time is advantageous because, as stated by slow-growth-high-mortality hypothesis [54], it means short exposure to natural enemies and, thus, high survival of GMs in natural populations. These findings were expected since, in general, oaks are the most optimal hosts for GM development [55,56], and Turkey oak is among the most suitable oaks [23,[57][58][59]. It is known that Turkey oak forests serve as natural reservoir for GM populations in Balkan Peninsula during latency period [28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Suitability of Turkey Oak, European Beech, and Hornbeam to Gypsy Moth Feeding

Milanović

Miletić

Marković

et al. 2022

Forests

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Pest resistance of trees should be taken into account in future forest strategy planning and predicting risks of defoliation. The gypsy moth (GM) (Lymantria dispar L.) is a serious forest pest with outbreaking population dynamics. To estimate defoliation risk of the most widely distributed tree species in Balkan Peninsula and Europe (Turkey oak Quercus cerris L., European beech Fagus sylvatica L. and hornbeam Carpinus betulus L.), we carried out laboratory feeding trials and investigated their acceptability and suitability for GM development. We determined morphological and chemical attributes of these hosts as well as larval host preference, growth and nutritional indices. Preference, growth, and efficiency of food conversion into biomass were ranked in the order: Turkey oak ˃ European beech ˃ hornbeam. Hornbeam was the most avoided and showed the lowest conversion efficiency although, comparing to optimal oak host, its leaves were less tough, contained more water and exhibited similar values of nitrogen (index of protein content) and C/N ratio (index of investment into carbon based plant defense). We suggest that hornbeam and beech leaf chemical profiles should be further studied to reveal specific compounds that impose high metabolic cost to GM larvae. Moreover, additional research are needed to understand how intermediate hosts in natural populations affect GM outbreaks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Suitability of Turkey Oak, European Beech, and Hornbeam to Gypsy Moth Feeding

Milanović

Miletić

Marković

et al. 2022

Forests

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“…Severe defoliation can induce resistance against leaf-chewing insects in the following year [158]. On the other hand, trees which usually few caterpillars feed on, i.e., those with low resistance (such as Q. cerris) could be sporadically heavily infested by herbivore insects, for example by Lymantria dispar L. [159]. In addition, global warming can disrupt the synchrony of EF oak and spring Lepidoptera phenology [160] and affect the abundance of caterpillars on trees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infestation of Early- and Late-Flushing Trees by Spring Caterpillars: An Associational Effect of Neighbouring Trees

Sarvašová

Zach

Parák³

et al. 2021

Forests

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In temperate forests within Europe, early-flushing (EF) deciduous trees are often heavily infested by early spring leaf-eating Lepidoptera, while late-flushing (LF) trees are better protected in a phenological manner against such heavy infestations, as spring moth larvae begin to appear before their bud burst. The associational effects of EF trees on LF ones are only poorly known. We studied whether or not the infestation of LF trees by spring Lepidoptera can be affected by EF ones if they grow in the immediate vicinity. We compared spring assemblages of leaf-eating larvae of Lepidoptera on LF Quercus cerris L. with those on EF Q. pubescens Willd. in several microhabitats in Slovakia, Central Europe. Larvae were collected from mature and young trees. Mature trees sampled were growing: (1) in a closed-canopy forest; (2) in small groups; or (3) as a lone tree. Forest and tree groups are both constituted by oak species. Tree groups and lone trees were 20–50 m distant from forest edges. Young trees were growing (1) under mature Q. pubescens trees in a forest or (2) as a lone tree within forest gaps or near the edges. In the closed-canopy forest where LF trees (Q. cerris) were surrounded by EF ones (Q. pubescens), the caterpillars on mature LF trees were in abundance, almost as on mature EF ones. The species composition of larval assemblages on the two oak species was similar. In contrast, on small groups and on lone trees, the lepidopteran larvae were significantly less abundant on LF trees than EF ones. In the case of young trees, the abundance of larvae and their composition assemblages on both oaks were comparable in the forest. In the open habitat, LF trees were less infested by larvae than EF ones and the assemblages of moth larvae differed between the two. Our results reveal the effect (associational susceptibility) of EF trees on LF ones when growing in a close vicinity. It means that the phenological protection of LF trees may not be sufficient if they grow close to or are surrounded by EF ones.

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“…From 2017, temporally synchronized local population outbreaks of the spongy moth were observed in large parts of Central Europe, including Austria (Hoch et al, 2021), Germany (Lemme et al, 2019) and Slovakia (Zúbrik et al, 2021). With approximately 4000 hectares, the forest area defoliated by L. dispar in 2018 was the largest ever recorded in Austria; similar levels occurred in 2019, but dropped to zero in 2020 (Hoch et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasitoids and pathogens in a collapsingLymantria dispar(Lepidoptera: Erebidae) population in Lower Austria

Zankl,

Schafellner,

Hoch

2023

J Applied Entomology

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A local population outbreak of the spongy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), in Lower Austria, resulted in the defoliation of an oak forest in 2018 and 2019. In the study year 2020, the population density was still high but was expected to decline. In the present work, the role of parasitoids and pathogens in the collapse of the population was investigated. In total, 20 egg masses, 680 larvae and 12 pupae of L. dispar were collected in the field from April to July 2020 and reared until the emergence of adult moths or death. Causes of mortality were determined based on emerging parasitoids and on microscope inspection of non‐parasitized cadavers. Stage‐specific mortality rates were calculated for eggs, larval stages (L1–L6) and pupae. Seven parasitoid species and three pathogens were responsible for the premature death of spongy moths. The egg parasitoid Anastatus disparis (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) emerged from 19% of all eggs. Larval parasitoids caused stage‐specific mortality rates from 15% to 61%. The dominant parasitoid of young and intermediate instars was the solitary wasp Glyptapanteles porthetriae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Mature larvae were mainly parasitized by the parasitic flies Blepharipa pratensis (Diptera: Tachinidae) and Parasetigena silvestris (Diptera: Tachinidae). Pathogens caused stage‐specific mortality rates from 11% to 41%. The nuclear polyhedrosis virus (LdNPV; Lefavirales: Baculoviridae) was the dominant pathogen in all instars. The introduced fungus Entomophaga maimaiga (Entomophthorales: Entomopthoraceae)—detected for the first time in Austria in 2019—caused low mortality rates in older larvae. Starting from high egg mass densities in spring, the spongy moth population declined to negligible levels until summer.

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Occurrence of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) in the Slovak Republic and its outbreaks during 1945–2020

Cited by 8 publications

References 25 publications

Suitability of Turkey Oak, European Beech, and Hornbeam to Gypsy Moth Feeding

Suitability of Turkey Oak, European Beech, and Hornbeam to Gypsy Moth Feeding

Infestation of Early- and Late-Flushing Trees by Spring Caterpillars: An Associational Effect of Neighbouring Trees

Parasitoids and pathogens in a collapsingLymantria dispar(Lepidoptera: Erebidae) population in Lower Austria

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