The impact of host plant species on the larval development of the large pine weevil Hylobius abietis L.

Abstract

1 The developmental performance of the large pine weevil Hylobius abietis was studied in the laboratory on four species of conifer, Corsican pine Pinus nigra var. maritima, Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis, Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii and Japanese larch Larix kaempferi. 2 All species supported development, but, there was considerable variation in larval mortality, development time and weight of adults on emergence between host species. 3 Levels of mortality were highest in Japanese larch (77%) and lowest in Corsican pine (8.2%), and the heaviest adults emerged from Corsican pine (130 mg) and the smallest from Douglas-fir (74 mg). 4 A constitutive plant defence chemical, lignin, found to vary within a northern provenance of Sitka spruce, also strongly affected larval development. 5 The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the management of H. abietis.

Evict or infect? Managing populations of the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis, using a bottom–up and top–down approach

“…The possible role of diet in influencing the probability of infection by EPN (Barbercheck, 1993) has not been explored for immature H. abietis feeding on different conifer species. Sitka spruce stumps are considered less suitable than pine as breeding sites for H. abietis with fewer eggs laid, higher larval mortality and slower larval development (von Sydow and Birgersson, 1997;Bakke and Lekander, 1965;Thorpe and Day, 2002), therefore healthier insects developing at a higher density in pine may be more attractive to EPN, both individually and by producing a higher concentration of host volatiles. et al (2005) analysed 828 records of biological control successes and failures using a regression based solely on trophic level variables, and concluded that bottom-up factors strongly influenced parasitoid-host population dynamics.…”

Genetic structure of the forest pest Hylobius abietis on conifer plantations at different spatial scales in Europe

“…Recent studies of H. abietis highlight the importance of considering the influence of the tree species on the larval performance (von Sydow and Birgersson, 1997;Thorpe and Day, 2002). There was considerable variation in larval mortality, development time and weight of adults at emergence, depending on the host species (Thorpe and Day, 2002), which can affect the potential of the insect to damage its hosts. If differential selection on the alternate hosts is strong enough to cause local adaptation to each host species, it can also prevent gene flow, even locally.…”

Effects of host quality parameters on fitness of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

“…Varying nutrient quality in plant tissue has been shown to directly affect insect performance Thorpe and Day (2002) concluded that larval feeding history, or host species during development, has a large impact on survival, development time, and size of H. abietis. For example, H. abietis larvae feeding on pine mature earlier and emerging adults are larger than those developing in spruce (Thorpe & Day 2002.…”

“…For example, H. abietis larvae feeding on pine mature earlier and emerging adults are larger than those developing in spruce (Thorpe & Day 2002. Larger H. abietis eggs develop to become larger larvae, and larger larvae have increased survival rates, so larger H. abietis have a clear advantage (Wainhouse et al 2001).…”