Roman Modlinger

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | CULS · Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences

Background Climate change has recently boosted the severity and frequency of pine bark beetle attacks. The bacterial community associated with these beetles acts as “hidden players,” enhancing their ability to infest and thrive on defense-rich pine trees. There is limited understanding of the environmental acquisition of these hidden players and th...

Several polyphagous moths are severe crop pests. Diet breadth patterns and mechanisms among polyphagous insects provide an excellent system to study ecological and evolutionary processes in herbivores, driving dietary specialization. However, studies of diet breadth on more than a handful of crops are scarce. Here, we estimated the diet breadth in...

Over the last decade, biotic disturbances caused by bark beetles have represented a serious environmental and economic issue in Central Europe. Great efforts are expended on the early detection and management of bark beetle infestation. Our study analyses a time series of UAV-borne multispectral imagery of a 250-ha forest in the Vysočina region in...

The detection of susceptible and attacked trees is a key factor in the management of bark beetle infestations. The challenge of early detection of infestations, due to invisible changes in the canopy color, consequently hinders the control of outbreaks in a timely manner. While many studies have examined the spectral characteristics during the gree...

Climate change has recently boosted the severity and frequency of the pine bark beetle attacks. The bacterial community associated with these beetles acts as “hidden players”, enhancing their ability to infest and thrive on defence-rich pine trees. There is limited understanding of the environmental acquisition of these hidden players and their lif...

Tree-killing bark beetles require rapid management, such as anti-attractants, to stop the enlargement of attack hot-spots. We tested two newer anti-attractant blends, both without verbenone and one with the addition of trans-4-thujanol, in traps against standard pheromone baits for inhibition of catch. Both blends provided effective catch reduction...

Host shift is ecologically advantageous and a crucial driver for herbivore insect speciation. Insects on the nonnative host obtain enemy-free space and confront reduced competition, but they must adapt to survive. Such signatures of adaptations can often be detected at the gene expression level. It is astonishing how bark beetles cope with distinct...

Introduction: Central European Norway spruce monocultures face Ips typographus outbreaks due to decreasing resistance. These beetles use volatile compounds to communicate and select suitable host trees. Spruce trees, beetles and their symbiotic ophiostomatoid fungi emit oxygenated monoterpenes, including 1,8 cineole, α terpineol, camphor, carvone,...

• Host shift is a fundamental driver for herbivore insect speciation. • The bark beetle, Ips sexdentatus, shows host switch (Scots pine to spruce) in forests. • Different confers (Scots pine and spruce) possess various levels of defence monoterpenes against biotic stresses. • Ips sexdentatus showed better survival and fecundity after alternate host...

Analysis of long-time climate data since 1961 from the selected meteorological station Churáňov was connected with state of Norway spruce forests in the area of spruce natural occurrence and their main pest species, Ips typographus, in the Šumava Mts. The current climate change was described using set of variables based on air temperature, relative...

For description of changing climate in the Czech Republic, 38 meteorological stations with complete data on basic weather variables since 1961 were selected. Development of air temperature with increase of 0.37 °C per 10 years, relative air humidity and precipitations was described. Precipitations were evaluated on the base of wetness index, which...

This study presents a method of tree species classification using individual tree metrics derived from a three-dimensional point cloud from unmanned aerial vehicle laser scanning (ULS). In this novel approach, we evaluated the metrics of 1045 trees using generalized linear model (GLM) and random forest (RF) techniques to automatically assign indivi...

Ips typographus L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is one of the serious pests causing mass destruction of European spruce forests, with a substantial economic impact. Symbiotic microbes associated with bark beetles often play a definitive role in accomplishing their physiological and ecological functions by detoxifying chemicals, inhibiting pathogens,...

Intoduction The bark beetle Ips typographus currently represents the primary pest of Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) in Central Europe. Early detection and timely salvage cutting of bark beetle-infested trees are functional management strategies for controlling bark beetle outbreaks. However, alternative detection methods are currently being develope...

Climate change-related acute or long-term drought stress can weaken forest ecosystems and result in widespread bark beetle infestations. Eurasian spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) infestations have been occurring in Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.]-dominated forests in central Europe including the Czechia. These infestations appear reg...

One of the most promising techniques for rapid detection of bark beetle-infested trees is the use of specially trained dogs. Due to the novelty of using dogs in detecting bark beetle-infested trees, evaluation of success or comparison with the traditional approaches is lacking. Spruces were pre-treated with a synthetic pheromone at several tree pos...

Protection of Norway spruce stands using anti-attractants was tested during an outbreak of bark beetles (Ips typographus) in their spring flight. The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to test the proposed experimental design for tree protection; (2) to evaluate height-specific alternatives for dispenser installation on trees; and (3) to evalu...

Forest management decisions increasingly rely on modelling tools, which help identify future risks, optimize management decisions, and provide a suite of indicators beyond timber production. Here we developed and tested a novel simulation and upscaling framework (SUF) and used it for prognosing forest resources of the Czech Republic (Central Europe...

Eurasian spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus is a destructive pest of the Norway spruce (Picea abies). Recent outbreaks in Europe have been attributed to global warming and other anthropogenic impacts. Bark beetles are guided by multiple complex olfactory cues throughout their life cycle. Male-produced aggregation pheromones, comprising 2-methyl-3-...

A field study was conducted to investigate the effect of forest-edge cutting on the transpiration rates of individual Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. trees regarding their susceptibility to bark-beetle Ips typographus (L.) infestation. The study period, spanning from 2019 to 2020, involved two treatment plots (Tp) and two control plots (Cp). Sap-flow se...

BACKGROUND Eurasian spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) use both attractant and anti‐attractant semiochemicals to find suitable mature host trees. Trans‐4‐thujanol is abundant in young, unsuitable spruce trees. Electrophysiological studies have demonstrated its high activity levels, but field data are lacking. RESULTS Enantioselective GC–MS anal...

Mass outbreaks of the European spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, have caused devastating damage to Norway spruce-dominated forests in Central Europe. Biotic and abiotic natural disturbances as well as logging activities promote the fragmentation of forest stands, further increasing their susceptibility to damaging events. The creation of forest...

The aim of this study was to develop methods for constructing a simple model describing tree mortality caused by Ips typographus L. using a minimum number of variables. We developed a model for areas spanning natural mountain forests in the Tatra National Park (Slovakia) and the Šumava National Park (Czech Republic), and in managed Czech forests lo...

Since 2008, spruce bud blight (Gemmamyces piceae (Borthw.) Casagr.) has been spreading epidem-ically in forest stands of the Czech Republic’s Ore Mountains. This fungus, with a disjunct Holarctic range, injures buds, especially of Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.). Damaged buds do not sprout, and, in case of a stronger attack, the tree d...

Since 2014, forestry in the Czech Republic has been significantly affected by a bark beetle outbreak. The volume of infested trees has exceeded processing capacity and dead standing spruce (Picea abies) remain in the forest stands, even for several years. What should be done with this bark beetle wood? Is it necessary to harvest it in order to pres...

Conference proceedings contains contributions from general Remote Sensing, UAV, Airborne and satellite data acquisition. PETER SUROVÝ: Využití dálkového průzkumu Země v lesním hospodářství. Remote sensing applications in forestry - a review. IVANA TOMÁŠKOVÁ, MEHMET S. ÖZÇELIK: Fyziologické procesy a změny u rostlin v důsledku stresu. Physiologica...

In the last decade, thousands of hectares of forests have been lost in the Czech Republic, primarily related to European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.), while more than 50% of the remaining Czech forests are in great danger, thus posing severe threats to the resilience, stability, and functionality of those forests. The role of remote sens...

Ips sexdentatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is one of the most destructive and economically important forest pests. A better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying its adaptation to toxic host compounds may unleash the potential for future management of this pest. Gene expression studies could be considered as one of the key e...

European forests are facing an increasing disturbance intensity from different agents. Bark beetle outbreaks fuelled by climate change have increased the level of tree mortality severalfold, with the Czech Republic becoming Europe’s epicentre. Here we elaborated a short-term prognosis of outbreak development (approximated by salvage volumes) for ad...

The European spruce bark beetle ‘Ips typographus L.’ is the most serious disturbance agent for European forests. The complex interactions of many influencing factors need to be integrated into a model-based decision-support system to reduce the potential loss of forests. This paper compares two methodological approaches for spatially-explicit predi...

Outbreaks of tree-killing insects are intensifying globally, affecting economies, human well-being, and driving ecosystem transitions. The Czech Republic has recently become Europe’s epicenter of the outbreak of spruce bark beetle Ips typographus, the most aggressive species in Eurasia. We investigated a countrywide outbreak dynamic during the peri...

High-resolution laser scans from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) provide a highly detailed description of tree structure at the level of fine branches. Apart from ultrahigh spatial resolution, unmanned aerial laser scanning (ULS) can also provide high temporal resolution due to its operability and flexibility during data acquisition. We examined the...

Bark beetles often serve as forest damaging agents, causing landscape-level mortality. Understanding the biology and ecology of beetles are important for both, gathering knowledge about important forest insects and forest protection. Knowledge about the bark beetle gut-associated bacteria is one of the crucial yet surprisingly neglected areas of re...

P EŠKOVÁ, V., SAMEK, M., BAŤA, D., LORENC, F., MODLINGER, R. Rozšíření kloubnatky smrkové (Gemmamyces piceae) dle hodnocení procenta napadených stromů na trvalých výzkumných plochách. Krušné hory 2015-2019. 1:250000. Praha : Fakulta lesnická a dřevařská, Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze, 2020.

MODLINGER, R., BAŤA, D., SAMEK, M., LORENC, F., PEŠKOVÁ, V. Predikční model intenzity napadení smrku ztepilého (Picea abies) kloubnatkou smrkovou (Gemmamyces piceae) v Krušných horách pro rok 2019. 1:220000. Praha: Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze , 2020.

Bark beetles are destructive forest pests considering their remarkable contribution to forest depletion. Their association with fungi is useful against the challenges of survival on the noxious and nutritionally limited substrate, i.e., conifer tissues. Fungal symbionts help the beetles in nutrient acquisition and detoxification of toxic tree secon...

The large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) is an important pest of young forest stands in Europe. Larvae develop under the bark of freshly cut pine and spruce stumps, but maturing weevils feed on the bark of coniferous seedlings. Such seedlings frequently die because of bark consumption near the root collar. We tested the effect of three treatment...

The division of functions among ant workers and their mutual cooperation is one of the reasons for ants’ success. The activities that workers perform in the nest can be divided by age or morphology. We studied the body size of workers of the wood ant Formica polyctena as a function of their activity. Our results show that workers exploiting protein...

Odborná studie “Možné příčiny a důsledky kůrovcové kalamity v lesích ČR s ohledem na specifika při zpracování kalamitního dříví” vznikla jako informační brožura určená pro vrcholový management dřevozpracujících podniků, k tomu, aby se dokázaly lépe orientovat v aktuálním prostředí bezprecedentní kůrovcové kalamity v Česku. Vznik a průběh kalamity j...

Two diseases, Rhabdocline needle cast caused by Rhabdocline pseudotsugae Sydow, and Swiss needle cast caused by Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii (Rohde) Petr., recently became a severe threat to Central European Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands. Both pathogens infect assimilative organs causing needle chloritization and drop off....

This study evaluates the influence of repeated artificial drought stress on the fine root characteristics – including ectomycorrhizae – of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst]. The experimental site consisted of two plots in a mature spruce monoculture stand. The water regime at parts of both plots was regulated by shelters and an isolation trenc...

Sustainable management of European forests aims to ensure economic targets (timber production) as well as ecological aims of the forest (maintenance of biodiversity). Smaller-sized clear-cutting followed by artificial planting creates a mosaic of small forest patches suitable for many small mammals including three possible pest species-the bank vol...

Felled trap trees have been traditionally used to control bark beetles in central Europe. There is, however, little research on the method and on factors affecting trap tree performance. We therefore evaluated the effect of felling date, tree diameter, site shading, and weather conditions on the pattern of trap tree infestation by bark beetles. An...

Food availability is an important factor influencing the lives of ant colonies. Wood ants consume protein-rich and sugary foods. Protein rich food is comprised primarily of insects, a considerable proportion of which the ants acquire by direct predation. They therefore play an important function in biological protection of forests. The objective of...

Trophic relationships of Lepidoptera (Insecta) occurring in the territory of Czechia to the Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) was evaluated on the basis of the excerption and critical evaluation of literature. Each species was classified into the following categories – spruce as the host plant, regular development on spruce, narrow trophic relationshi...

The gypsy moth is the most important defoliator of broadleaved forests in the Northern Hemisphere. We explored the patterns in the moth’s long-term dynamics and produced outbreak forecasts for seven countries located in central to southeastern Europe and extending into the Carpathian Mountains. We investigated how the outbreak periods and trends in...

In this paper, the effect of the Bio-Algeen® product (bio-alginate from the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (Linnaeus) Le Jolis) was evaluated in relation to basic mycorrhizal and growth characteristics of Norway spruce (Picea abies (Linnaeus) H. Karsten) seedlings. The seedlings were planted in a forest nursery in 5 different treatments: 4 treatments...

Damages by wind and by European spruce bark beetle (I. typographus L.) were compared on the basis of the reports about the occurrence of harmful forest agents for the period 1964−1991 across former regional state forest directorates. In the given period, the quantity of salvage logging (70 million m3) was more than five times that of sanitation fel...

Pest species infesting spruce cones were identified from 109 locations approved for the collection of seed material in the Czech Republic. Four (occasionally five) cones were studied from each location, and 448 cones were examined in total. Each cone was assessed for external damage and was then cut open along the spine. The predominant pest specie...

This paper evaluates the mycorrhizal status and root system of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) with respect to trees’ position within the stand and artificially induced drought stress. Root systems were sampled during autumn of 2008, 2009 and 2013 from spruces exposed to varying conditions (totalling 18 trees, 47 samples). The experiment in...

An extensive research of distribution of phytophthora disease of alders (primarily caused by Phytophthora alni) was carried out in more than 800 forest plantations in the Czech Republic in 2013. The disease was identified in more than 50% of forest alder plantations, the average damage of alder stands was about 10%. The impact of the disease was mo...

The complex study in oak forest (Dřevíč Czech Republic) provided unique long-term data concerningthe mycorrhizal activity, fungi fructification and health status of trees in relation to elementary environmental factors. When comparing spring and autumnal root sampling, the statistically significant difference in the nonactive mycorrhizae and dry ro...

The mycorrhizal situation and health state of oak Quercus robur L. and Q. petraea (Matuschka) Liebl. was monitored in Czechia on five oak experimental provenance plots in 2008-2012. Statistically significant difference between the density of active and nonactive mycorrhizae was studied; on the contrary, no difference between the assessed provenance...

Presented paper contains the evaluation of 9 black pine (Pinus nigra ARNOLD) provenances growth on the research plot No. 41 – Roblín (Czech Republic) at the age of 41 years. The tested provenances originated from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, France and Slovakia. The evaluation is based on an assessment of following fac...

Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3A gene was redesigned for high expression in Norwegian spruce and the sequence was slightly modified to allow for simple N- and C- terminal deletions and domain II loop 1 exchange for synthetic oligos. Modified Cry3A toxins from 13 variants of the synthetic gene were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 and their toxicity o...

Data for the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (2942 measurements concerning number of eggs deposited per gallery, length of maternal galleries, and density of family galleries) were collected from 122 trap trees and 398 bark samples in three regions in the years 2008–2009. The mean maternal gallery was 78 mm long and the established mean egg-layi...

In the period 2003–2007, the lepidopteran communities were intensively studied in the mountain spruce forests of the massive of Trojmezná in the Šumava Mts. The basal techniques used for data collection were Malaise traps and portable light traps. All collected specimens were identified to the species level and quantitatively evaluated. In addition...

Freiburg Forstliche Versuchs-und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg Freiburger Forstliche Forschung Berichte Biotic Risks and Climate Change in Forests 10 th IUFRO Workshop of WP 7.03.10 "Methodology of Forest Insect and Disease Survey in Central Europe", September 20-23, 2010 Freiburg, Germany Proceedings Heft 89

Freiburg Forstliche Versuchs-und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg Freiburger Forstliche Forschung Berichte Biotic Risks and Climate Change in Forests 10 th IUFRO Workshop of WP 7.03.10 "Methodology of Forest Insect and Disease Survey in Central Europe", September 20-23, 2010 Freiburg, Germany Proceedings Heft 89

Three different possibilities of spruce bark beetle breeding methods for substances feeding toxicity assays were tested – rearing of adults on cellulose wadding, methods of bark sandwiches for larvae and adults and method of sandwiches of bark with glass combination for larvae. Analysis of variance was used for evaluation of differences of the rear...