Attraction of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, to pheromone components of the western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in an allopatric zone

An enhanced lure for eastern populations of the North American spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Regional variation in pheromone production and response has practical implications for the use of semiochemical lures to monitor and control bark beetle populations. We tested 4 lure formulations including 2 new formulations that reflect the pheromone production profiles of western and eastern populations of spruce beetles, Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), as well as 2 commercially available formulations (current Rocky Mountain lure and current Atlantic lure), in 2 locations in New Brunswick, Canada. In 2 separate years, the new eastern lure containing seudenol, MCOL, and spruce terpenes captured 4 times (2021) and 11 times (2022) more spruce beetles than the current Atlantic lure that consisted of frontalin, seudenol, and spruce terpenes. In 2021, we also captured more eastern larch beetles, Dendroctonus simplex LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), with the new eastern lure, whereas in 2022, we captured the most D. simplex with the current Atlantic lure, suggesting that more research is needed on D. simplex pheromone production and response across its range. The bark beetle predator, Thanasimus dubius (Fabr.; Coleoptera: Cleridae), did not respond well to the new eastern blend that lacks frontalin, suggesting that response to frontalin is important in finding prey and might be conserved in predator populations. The reduced trap catch of T. dubius to the enhanced lure is beneficial because it does not inhibit natural population control by removing predators from the community. Our study reveals an improved trap lure for eastern populations of spruce beetles and highlights gaps and research needs in bark beetle pheromone ecology.

Evidence for Semiochemical Divergence Between Sibling Bark Beetle Species: Dendroctonus brevicomis and Dendroctonus barberi

We investigated geographic variation in the semiochemistry of major disturbance agents of western North American pine forests, Dendroctonus brevicomis Le Conte and Dendroctonus barberi Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), species separated by the Great Basin in the USA that until recently were synonymous. At 15 sites in the western USA and northern Mexico, beetle populations were examined to determine (1) pheromone production by solitary, mining females, (2) male electroantennogram amplitudes in response to known semiochemicals for the genus, or (3) relative attractiveness of two female-produced pheromone components (endo- and exo-brevicomin) and two host odors (alpha-pinene and myrcene) to beetles in the field. Compared to female beetles collected east of the Great Basin (D. barberi), western females (D. brevicomis) produced a consistently higher proportion of, and male antenna were correspondingly more sensitive to, the exo- than the endo-isomer of brevicomin. With the exception of one sampling location (where no preference was observed), beetles west of the Great Basin were more attracted to exo- than endo- brevicomin trap lures, whereas eastern beetles displayed the reverse preference. In contrast, there was not a consistent difference between these populations regarding relative attraction or olfactory response to myrcene or alpha-pinene, although some geographic variability was evident. These data show that the semiochemical systems of D. brevicomis and D. barberi have diverged and corroborate genetic and morphological evidence that they are distinct, allopatric species.

Molecular characterization and expression of two enzymes from Dendroctonus armandi, with phloem feeding and juvenile hormone

The Chinese white pine beetle, Dendroctonus armandi Tsai and Li, is a serious native pest in the Qinling Mountains of China. exo-Bevicomin, as the main component of bark beetle pheromone, is released by the female D. armandi. In this paper, we identified two genes encoding, (Z)-6-nonen-2-ol dehydrogenase and CYP6CR, that are known to be involved in xo-brevicomin synthesis to improve the understanding of exo-brevicomin biosynthesis in the Chinese white pine beetle. The two protiens had high homology with their orthologs in the exo-brevicomin biosynthesis pathway from D. ponderosae. The expression profiles of CYP6CR12 and DaZnoDH in D. armandi females are closely correlated with exo-brevicomin biosynthesis. The expression levels of CYP6CR12 and DaZnoDH are also regulated by feeding behavior and juvenile hormone levels. Since they are also expressed in males, CYP6CR12 and DaZnoDH are not only important for exo-brevicomin biosynthesis that this might be potential role for the semichemical biosysthesis pathways.

Western Pine Beetle Populations in Arizona and California Differ in the Composition of Their Aggregation Pheromones

We compared pheromone production and response for populations of western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, from sites in northern Arizona and northern California. Volatiles were collected from individuals of both sexes that had mined as a pair in a Pinus ponderosa log for 1 d, and they were subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass-spectrometry. Principal component analysis of quantities of Dendroctonus pheromone components indicated strong site-associated clustering of blend composition for females but not males. Much of the clustering in females evidently was due to differences in the production of endo- and exo-brevicomin, which occurred in average ratios of 0.1:1 and 19:1 for populations in the California and Arizona sites, respectively. In the California site, exo- was better than endo-brevicomin in enhancing trap catches of both sexes to lures containing the host-tree odor α-pinene and the male-produced aggregation pheromone component frontalin. In an identical test in the Arizona site, endo- was a better adjuvant than exo-brevicomin for male attraction, whereas females did not show a significant preference. At neither location were the isomers antagonistic to one another in activity. Thus, one aggregation pheromone has apparently diverged between these populations, concurrent with published evidence that D. brevicomis on either side of the Great Basin are genetically distinct and are possibly different species. Furthermore, production of and response to the isomers of brevicomin by flying Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann in the Arizona site were similar to those of sympatric D. brevicomis. This interspecific signal overlap is likely sustainable since joint species mass-attacks may assist both species in overcoming host defenses, thereby increasing host availability.

Effects of gallery density and species ratio on the fitness and fecundity of two sympatric bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Interspecific interactions among tree-killing bark beetle species may have ecologically important consequences on beetle population dynamics. Using two tree-killing beetle species (Dendroctonus brevicomis and D. frontalis), we performed observational and experimental studies to verify cross-attraction and co-colonization under field conditions in northern Arizona and test the effects of gallery density and species ratio on response variables of average gallery length, offspring size (progeny fitness), and offspring production per centimeter gallery (fecundity). Our results show that both D. frontalis and D. brevicomis aggregate to pheromones synthesized de novo by D. brevicomis under field conditions and that galleries of both D. brevicomis and D. frontalis occurred together in the same region of a single host tree with significant frequency. In experimental manipulations of species ratios, the presence of conspecific beetles in the gallery environment strongly mediated fecundity, but D. frontalis was the only species that suffered negative impacts from the presence of heterospecific beetles in the gallery environment. Interactions did not result in any apparent fitness effects for progeny of either species, which suggests that multispecies aggregations and co-colonization may be a dominant ecological strategy in the region and result in niche sharing.