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Tomicus species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) as Invasive Forest Pest to Mexico with Ecological Niche Modeling
Abstract
Scolitine bark beetles of the genus Tomicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) include some forestry pests of major importance worldwide, with the capacity for invading new habitats and threatening native forest populations and are considered as exotic species for America. However, Tomicus piniperda L. the common pine shoot beetle has invaded North America recently and specimens of T. minor Hart have been intercepted in the United States. The possibility for an invasion of Mexico grows day by day. A preventive strategy to evaluate the invasion by exotic species is ecological niche modeling. Using bioclimatic variables, distributional data, entropy algorithm, and modeling software, the ecological niche of three Tomicus species was calculated and projected to Mexico. Results of this analysis showed potential environmental suitability in Mexico for T. destruens (small and dispersed areas in the Altiplano Norte biogeographic province and an isolated area in the Tamaulipeca biogeographic province) and T. minor (high suitability in the biogeographical provinces of Baja California, California, Sonorense, Altiplano Norte and Altiplano Sur, Tamaulipeca and small areas in eastern Eje Volcánico.). For T. piniperda, no environmental suitability was projected in Mexico. Additional ecological requirements, host preferences, and local fauna competition, as factors influencing the potential invasion of T. minor in Mexico, are discussed. Our work has an important impact because Mexico is one of the most important countries with high pine diversity in the world and shows an important impact on pine´s hot spots.
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The pine shoot beetles Tomicus piniperda L. and T. minor Hartwig are sympatric species that occur on Scots pine in two habitats. Feeding by the beetles in tree crowns causes significant losses in tree growth and disturbs the crown’s proper development. A review of the subject literature showed that there had been no previous studies of interspecific competition in stands with different degrees of crown damage. The aim of this work was to assess the resource partitioning of stems by the two species in stands with damaged and undamaged crowns. Data were collected in the years 1992–2008 in stands containing Scots pine located at different distances from timber yards. A total of 259 natural traps were laid, and measurements of height and diameter at breast height were made for 900 pines. The surface area of each stem was divided into 20 equal sections by making a division lengthwise (into units) and laterally (into an upper and lower part). In total, 90,501 egg galleries of pine shoot beetles were counted on 9560 stem sections. Feeding by pine shoot beetles in the crowns of pines reduces site productivity and the nutritional suitability of stems. The results of niche segregation indicate pine shoot beetles exhibited spatial specialization in the use of resources. prefers the thicker part of the stem, and T. minor the thinner part. The population of T. piniperda on the trap logs was described using a multiple linear regression model with three explanatory variables. As a result of regression modelling, from the set of variables representing characteristics of habitats, trees and trap logs and the parameters of infestation, the following explanatory variables were selected: range of colonisation of a trap log (rc), site quality class (sqc), and crown undamaged (cu). The explanatory variables included in the MLRM model explain to a significant degree (p < 0.05) the niche breadth of T. piniperda on trap logs. In all validated plots, the mean real and model values for the niche of T. piniperda on the trap logs are similar (p > 0.5), confirming the high accuracy of the developed model.
Exotic pests have caused huge losses to agriculture, forestry, and human health. Analyzing information on all concerned pest species and their origin will help to improve the inspection procedures and will help to clarify the relative risks of imported cargo and formulate international trade policies. Records of intercepted pests from wood packaging materials (WPM) from 2003 to 2016 in the China Port Information Network (CPIN) database were analyzed. Results showed that the number of intercepted pests from WPM was lowest in the first quarter and highest in the fourth one. The total number of interceptions increased each year, with 53.33% of intercepted insects followed by nematodes (31.54%). The original continent of most intercepted pests was Asia (49.29%). Xylophagous insects were primarily intercepted from Southeast Asian countries, whereas nematodes were primarily intercepted from Korea, Australia, Mexico, and other countries. WPM interception records were mainly concentrated in China’s coastal inspection stations (98.7%), with the largest number of interceptions documented in Shanghai, followed by the inspection stations of Jiangsu Province. The proportion of pest taxa intercepted by the Chinese provinces’ stations each year is becoming increasingly balanced. The number of pest disposal treatment measures for intercepted cargoes with dead non-quarantine pests increased significantly from 2012 to 2016. This reflects the fact that Chinese customs inspection stations are becoming increasingly scientific and standardizing the interception and treatment of WPM pests. The issues reflected in the database, with a view to providing a reference for future work by customs officers and researchers.
Significance
Understanding what determines the distribution of biodiversity remains one of the great challenges in evolutionary biology and ecology. The Northern Hemisphere conifers do not follow a latitudinal diversity gradient and show a unique distribution pattern, that is most species are distributed at middle latitudes. To reveal the mechanisms underlying this pattern, we investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of the largest conifer genus Pinus . We find that the midlatitude region has been an evolutionary museum for Pinus , and particularly, topography has played the most important role in pine diversification. Moreover, our results indicate that pine’s preference of warm and somewhat drier habitats could be helpful for their adaptation to the Anthropocene climate warming, which is important for biodiversity conservation and forest management.
The economic value importance of pine (Pinus spp.) as a natural resource in Mexico is that it is present in 75 % of its surface. This study aims at quantifying the monetary value that pine contributes to the forest economy, based on the statistical data provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment; a horizon of 15 years 2002-2016 was selected with the idea of learning about the behavior and evolution of the value of this conifer, as roundwood and as square timber. The methodological process was to update the current values through deflation and display them at constant values, for which 2013 was selected as the base year. The data were thus made comparable in order to identify their trends, as well as to quantify their variation through the statistical function annual average growth rate. In real terms, there is a reduction of the importance of the value of pine, which has a strong influence on market prices. These fail to grow enough to stop the fall in the value of production, a situation that is more prevalent in roundwood than in square timber.
Mexico's incredible specific and ecosystemic diversity places it among the megadiverse countries of the planet. The biogeographic patterns exhibited by the taxa of the country also show a remarkable complexity. The northern part of Mexico is located in the Nearctic region, whereas the southernmost part belongs to the Neotropical region. Between both, mainly in the “Sierras Madre” and the Transmexican Volcanic Belt, the mixture of Nearctic and Neotropical taxa constitutes the so-called Mexican Transition Zone. This biotic crossroads makes the diversity of Mexico so interesting, not only in terms of its endemic species, but also in terms of their varied phylogenetic relationships and the hypotheses that have been proposed for explaining how taxa of diverse origins have been assembled in the Mexican Transition Zone. Additionally, the country possesses almost all types of vegetation, with deserts, tropical and temperate forests, grasslands and high mountain wilderness. The biogeographic regionalization of the country is revised, recognizing 2 regions, 1 transition zone, 14 provinces and 42 districts.
2019) Differential patterns of ophiostomatoid fungal communities associated with three sympatric Tomicus species infesting pines in southwestern China, with a description of four new species MycoKeys 50: 93-133. https://doi. Abstract Bark beetles and their associated fungi, which cause forest decline and sometimes high mortality in large areas around the world, are of increasing concern in terms of forest health. Three Tomicus spp. (T. brevipilosus, T. minor and T. yunnanensis) infect branches and trunks of Pinus yunnanensis and P. kesiya in Yunnan Province, in southwestern China. Tomicus spp. are well known as vectors of ophiostomatoid fungi and their co-occurrence could result in serious ecological and economic impact on local forest ecosystems. Nonetheless, knowledge about their diversity, ecology, including pathogenicity and potential economic importance is still quite rudimentary. Therefore, an extensive survey of ophiostomatoid fungi associated with these Tomicus species infesting P. yunnanensis and P. kesiya was carried out in Yunnan. Seven hundred and seventy-two strains of ophiostomatoid fungi were isolated from the adult beetles and their galleries. The strains were identified based on comparisons of multiple DNA sequences, including the nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU) region, the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2, together with the intervening 5.8S gene (ITS) and the partial genes of β-tubulin (TUB2), elongation A peer-reviewed open-access journal MycoKeys Launched to accelerate biodiversity research RESEARCH ARTICLE Hui Min Wang et al. / MycoKeys 50: 93-133 (2019) 94 factor 1α (TEF1-α) and calmodulin (CAL). Phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum par-simony (MP) as well as maximum likelihood (ML). Combinations of culture features, morphological characters and temperature-dependent growth rates were also employed for species identification. Eleven species belonging to five genera were identified. These included six known species, Esteya vermicola, Lep-tographium yunnanense, Ophiostoma brevipilosi, O. canum, O. minus and O. tingens and four novel taxa, described as Graphilbum anningense, O. aggregatum, Sporothrix pseudoabietina and S. macroconidia. A residual strain was left unidentified as Ophiostoma sp. 1. The overall ophiostomatoid community was by far dominated by three species, representing 87.3% of the total isolates; in decreasing order, these were O. canum, O. brevipilosi and O. minus. Furthermore, the ophiostomatoid community of each beetle, although harbouring a diversity of ophiostomatoid species, was differentially dominated by a single fungal species; Ophiostoma canum was preferentially associated with and dominated the ophiostomatoid community of T. minor, whereas O. brevipilosi and O. minus were exclusively associated with and dominated the ophiostomatoid communities of T. brevipilosus and T. yunnanensis, respectively. Eight additional species, representing the remaining 12.7% of the total isolates, were marginal or sporadic. These results suggested that sympatric Tomicus populations are dominated by distinct species showing some level of specificity or even exclusivity.
The results of ten years of a USFS Service program to detect exotic bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) in the United States.
Background
Ecological niche modeling is a set of analytical tools with applications in diverse disciplines, yet creating these models rigorously is now a challenging task. The calibration phase of these models is critical, but despite recent attempts at providing tools for performing this step, adequate detail is still missing. Here, we present the kuenm R package, a new set of tools for performing detailed development of ecological niche models using the platform Maxent in a reproducible way.
Results
This package takes advantage of the versatility of R and Maxent to enable detailed model calibration and selection, final model creation and evaluation, and extrapolation risk analysis. Best parameters for modeling are selected considering (1) statistical significance, (2) predictive power, and (3) model complexity. For final models, we enable multiple parameter sets and model transfers, making processing simpler. Users can also evaluate extrapolation risk in model transfers via mobility-oriented parity (MOP) metric.
Discussion
Use of this package allows robust processes of model calibration, facilitating creation of final models based on model significance, performance, and simplicity. Model transfers to multiple scenarios, also facilitated in this package, significantly reduce time invested in performing these tasks. Finally, efficient assessments of strict-extrapolation risks in model transfers via the MOP and MESS metrics help to prevent overinterpretation in model outcomes.
Mexico is home to the highest species diversity of pines: 46 species out of 113 reported around the world. Within the great diversity of pines in Mexico, Pinus culminicola Andresen et Beaman, P. jaliscana Perez de la Rosa, P. maximartinenzii Rzed., P. nelsonii Shaw, P. pinceana Gordon, and P. rzedowskii Madrigal et M. Caball. are six catalogued as threatened or endangered due to their restricted distribution and low population density. Therefore, they are of special interest for forest conservation purposes. In this paper, we aim to provide up-to-date information on the spatial distribution of these six pine species according to different historical registers coming from different herbaria distributed around the country by using spatial modeling. Therefore, we recovered historical observations of the natural distribution of each species and modelled suitable areas of distribution according to environmental requirements. Finally, we evaluated the distributions by contrasting changes of vegetation in the period 1991–2016. The results highlight areas of distribution for each pine species in the northeast, west, and central parts of Mexico. The results of this study are intended to be the basis of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies for the endangered Mexican pines
Invasive pests are considered a major threat to biodiversity, conservation and agriculture. The Italian peninsula is a major site of intensive commercial exchange and transport of plants and goods, being consequently one of the European countries most invaded by alien insects. Hemiptera Coccomorpha are the largest group of non-native species recorded in Europe. For example, in the last 70 years more than 50 scale insect species have been accidentally introduced into Italy, 50% of which are now well established. This study was conducted to investigate the biology and the damage of the non-native pine tortoise scale Toumeyella parvicornis Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccidae) accidentally introduced a few years ago into southern Italy. T. parvicornis is multivoltine in the invaded territories, being able to complete at least three generations per year, overwintering in the adult female stage. Oviposition periods during 2015-2017 surveys occurred from late April to end of May, from July to first half of August, and from mid-September to November. Fecundity was positively correlated to body size of gravid females and varied among the generations. Investigations on natural control by autochthonous species showed a seasonal activity of Metaphycus flavus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), parasitizing mainly immature male individuals. The morpho-molecular approach confirms the hypothesis of an ongoing shift of parasitoid populations from other indigenous soft scales to the invasive one. Unfortunately, the low level of natural control was ineffective in hampering the spread of T. parvicornis, and preventing the dieback of local pine species, Pinus pinea, as observed in all invaded areas.
Xyleborus glabratus is an invasive, small, ambrosia beetle that has been present in the United States since 2002. It is a known to live in Lauraceae plants and is a vector of the fungal plant disease, laurel wilt, Raffaelea lauricola. In 2015, the United States Forest Service discovered X. glabratus and laurel wilt in Texas; its presence in Texas made this species a priority target for our exotic woodboring beetle survey in 2016. This survey documents the spread of X. glabratus across southeast Texas and reports its presence in three new Texas counties (Anderson, Grimes, and Jefferson). © 2017 Southwestern Association of Naturalists. All rights reserved.
Deforestation and fragmentation are threats to the conservation of species and have consequences for ecosystem functions. The focus of this study was to elucidate forest cover change in the period of 1993 to 2014. Our study area is in the central region of Veracruz, Mexico. Land cover and land use classes for the Years 1993, 2000, and 2014 were derived from Landsat images applying supervised classification. Then, we quantified the net change in forest area, the loss of original forest area, and evaluated forest fragmentation using landscape metrics. Our results showed that the area covered by remnant forests decreased 57%. The annual net forest cover change rate for 1993 to 2000 was −0.44%; since then forest cover increased at a rate of 0.11% from 2000 to 2014. The decreasing total edge density and the mean proximity index during the entire period of the study indicate decreasing irregularity in the shape of remnant forest patches and a slight decrease of vulnerability to edge effects. Forest patches augmented in 2000 and decreased in 2014 demonstrating an 18% decrease in relation to the number of fragments existing in 1993. According to our study, this area demands an urgent attention on preservation initiatives because only 2% of the surface extent is below federal protection and 0.8% is under State protection. It is important to protect the larger forest areas left in the pine-oak and humid montane forest belt because of their importance to plant diversity conservation and particularly, as these are threatened by urban and agricultural expansion.
The pine shoot beetle (PSB), Tomicus piniperda, an invasive forest species introduced to Canada in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s, is a federally regulated species. Since 1994 a federal quarantine has been imposed to regulate the movement of at-risk pine commodities, including logs and firewood, and nursery stock.
Over the past 20 years, the pine shoot beetle has spread northward from its initial areas of detection and quarantine around the US-Canada border in Ontario and Quebec. Initial risk assessments raised concern that the beetle would spread from the existing areas of known occupation and damage valuable pine forests that are important for the forest sector across Canada. However, after 20 years of experience, little evidence has surfaced that the PSB has caused significant damage to native pine stands.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the net benefits of current efforts to slow the spread of the pine shoot beetle from its current range of southern Ontario and Quebec. This study emulated a study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2015. We compared the expected economic losses from damaged pine trees under the current efforts to slow the spread of T. piniperda with the potential damages without regulations. The benefit of regulation is to push damage further into the future, assuming that the value of a loss in the future is less than the same loss incurred today. We compared the value of delayed damage to the on-going costs of regulation inthe form of inspections and permitting the movement of regulated materials. We focussed on all merchantable pine forests in eastern Canada, i.e. east of Manitoba, regardless of geographical location. However, our study did not consider non-timber values such as carbon, biodiversity, or recreation nor did we try to account for damage to private residential property. These values may be locally important but, we found no evidence to suggest they were significant and so were not addressed in the analysis.
The findings of the study indicate that under conservative assumptions, it is very unlikely that the current regulatory program is beneficial. Assuming conservatively low cost estimates of regulation and high estimates of area that might be impacted by the PSB, we found only a 7.5%-17.4% chance that the program is generating a net benefit, depending on spread rates. Even with increased effective regulation (i.e. slower spread rate under regulation), there is only a small chance that the program might produce a net benefit. Break-even analysis indicated that a much higher mortality rate than supported by current scientific literature and expert opinion would be required for the program to pay for itself.
The results suggest there is likely little downside risk to deregulating the pine shoot beetle. The very low estimated mortality caused by Tomicus piniperda on native pine species in Canada underpins the analysis. A much higher mortality rate than is currently documented in available information would have to occur for the program to be an efficient use of public funds.
Drought is a major constraint of forest productivity and tree growth across diverse habitat types. In this study, we investigated the drought responses of four conifer species growing within two locations of differing elevation and climatic conditions in northern Mexico. Two species were selected at a mesic site (Cupressus lusitanica Mill., Abies durangensis Martínez) and the other two species were sampled at a xeric site (Pinus engelmannii Carr., Pinus cembroides Zucc.). Using a dendrochronological approach, we correlated the radial-growth series of each species and the climatic variables. All study species positively responded to wet-cool conditions during winter and spring. Despite the close proximity of species at a mesic site, A. durangensis had high responsiveness to hydroclimatic variability, but C. lusitanica was not responsive. At the xeric site, P. engelmannii and P. cembroides were very responsive to drought severity, differentiated only by the longer time scale of the response to accumulated drought of P. engelmannii. The responsiveness to hydroclimate and drought of these tree species seems to be modulated by site conditions, or by the functional features of each species that are still little explored. These findings indicate that differentiating between mesic and xeric habitats is a too coarse approach in diverse forests with a high topographic heterogeneity.
This software note announces a new open-source release of the Maxent software for modeling species distributions from occurrence records and environmental data, and describes a new R package for fitting such models. The new release (Version 3.4.0) will be hosted online by the American Museum of Natural History, along with future versions. It contains small functional changes, most notably use of a complementary log-log (cloglog) transform to produce an estimate of occurrence probability. The cloglog transform derives from the recently-published interpretation of Maxent as an inhomogeneous Poisson process (IPP), giving it a stronger theoretical justification than the logistic transform which it replaces by default. In addition, the new R package, maxnet, fits Maxent models using the glmnet package for regularized generalized linear models. We discuss the implications of the IPP formulation in terms of model inputs and outputs, treating occurrence records as points rather than grid cells and interpreting the exponential Maxent model (raw output) as as an estimate of relative abundance. With these two open-source developments, we invite others to freely use and contribute to the software. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Este manuscrito no tiene introduccion pues es solo la Editorial/Introduccion a la Seccion Especial " Modeling the distribution of Mexican plants: knowledge and challenges in the face of biodiversity loss"
Some phytogeographical, zoogeographical and biogeographical regionalisations of the world are reviewed qualitatively. A biogeographical regionalisation attempting some consensus is proposed, recognising the following three kingdoms and nine regions: Holarctic kingdom (Nearctic and Palearctic regions), Holotropical kingdom (Neotropical, Ethiopian and Oriental regions) and Austral kingdom (Cape, Andean, Australian and Antarctic regions). Additionally, the following five transition zones are recognised: Mexican (Nearctic-Neotropical transition), Saharo-Arabian (Palearctic-Ethiopian transition), Chinese (Palearctic-Oriental transition), Indo-Malayan (Oriental-Australian transition) and South American (Neotropical-Andean transition).
The use of pesticides made it possible to increase yields, simplify cropping systems, and forego more complicated crop protection strategies. Over-reliance on chemical control, however, is associated with contamination of ecosystems and undesirable health effects. The future of crop production is now also threatened by emergence of pest resistance and declining availability of active substances. There is therefore a need to design cropping systems less dependent on synthetic pesticides. Consequently, the European Union requires the application of eight principles (P) of Integrated Pest Management that fit within sustainable farm management. Here, we propose to farmers, advisors, and researchers a dynamic and flexible approach that accounts for the diversity of farming situations and the complexities of agroecosystems and that can improve the resilience of cropping systems and our capacity to adapt crop protection to local realities. For each principle
(P), we suggest that (P1) the design of inherently robust cropping systems using a combination of agronomic levers is key to prevention. (P2) Local availability of monitoring, warning, and forecasting systems is a reality to contend with. (P3) The decision-making process can integrate cropping system factors to develop longer-term strategies. (P4) The combination of non-chemical methods that may be individually less efficient than pesticides can generate valuable synergies. (P5) Development of new biological agents and products and the use of existing databases offer options for the selection of products minimizing impact on health, the environment, and biological regulation of pests. (P6) Reduced pesticide use can be effectively combined with other tactics. (P7) Addressing the root causes of pesticide resistance is the best way to find sustainable crop protection solutions. And (P8) integration of multi-season effects and trade-offs in evaluation criteria will help develop sustainable solutions.
Resumen
Las coníferas (Pinophyta) son árboles o arbustos con hojas simples y estructuras fértiles arregladas en conos polínicos simples y conos ovulados compuestos, excepto en Taxaceae. Las coníferas son los componentes dominantes de diversos tipos de vegetación. En México crecen desde el nivel del mar hasta por encima de los 4 000 m; la mayor diversidad se encuentra en los bosques montañosos de la Sierra Madre Occidental y Sierra Madre Oriental. Están representadas por 4 familias: Pinaceae (4 géneros y 61 especies), Cupressaceae (4 géneros y 29 especies), Podocarpaceae (1 género y 3 especies) y Taxaceae (1 especie). De las 94 especies de coníferas mexicanas, 43 son endémicas del país, de éstas 18 tienen un rango de distribución limitado a 3 o menos estados.
Mortality in six plant species was examined in the vegetation of a mountain region in Northeastern Mexico and hypotheses of survival pathways within populations in the ecosystem were tested. Significant differences in the general mortality pattern were found among species indicating species-specific responses to stress gradients. Average mortality differed among species: Yucca carnerosana, 33.8%; Pinus cembroides, 29.9%; Larrea tridentata, 25.9%; Hechtia podantha, 13.7%; Agave lechuguilla, 13.0%; and Thelocactus santaclarensis, 9.0%. Within populations, mortality increased with water stress and survivorship increased with less stressful environments. Results from this study may be useful for the development of a management plan to support the conservation and sustainable use of forest vegetation in this mountain community.
The shoot beetles Tomicus minor, Tomicus yunnanensis, and Tomicus brevipilosus have been decimating Pinus yunnanensis trees for more than 30 years in Southwestern China. To understand the chemical ecological relationship between pines and Tomicus, and among the three beetle species, we compared the attraction of these beetles to damaged shoots, extracts from damaged shoots, and volatiles from damaged shoots collected by the dynamic headspace sampling method. Experiments were performed using a modified open-arena olfactometer. The male T. minor and both sexes of T. brevipilosus were more strongly attracted to damaged shoots than to undamaged shoots and they showed attraction to shoots damaged by the same species. Female T. minor and both sexes of T. yunnanensis were attracted to shoots damaged by female T. brevipilosus. The three beetle species were attracted to shoot extracts and dynamic headspace volatiles from shoots damaged by the same species and sex. Female T. minor and male T. yunnanensis were also attracted to dynamic headspace volatiles from shoots damaged by both sexes of T. brevipilosus. The results suggested that specific semiochemicals that are induced or produced by T. brevipilosus also attract T. minor and T. yunnanensis. The semiochemicals in damaged shoots affect the attraction of the three beetle species and play an important chemical communication role in weakening the host trees during the beetles' shoot-feeding phase.
This paper presents a novel approach of population genetics together with environmental and biogeographic data leading to inferences for ecological niche modelling.We used hierarchical lineages obtained using the nested cladistic analysis (NCA) of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes of the bark beetle species Tomicus destruens, for modelling the distribution by maximum entropy using environmental and host variables along the whole Mediterranean Basin. The identity and similarity tests were checked in the intraspecific lineages (NCA clades and haplotypes) in order to determine a shift or conservatism niche between them. Also, four indices from nine geographical areas in the Mediterranean Basin were calculated to assess the variability of environmental factors shaping the distribution of haplotype diversity on a large geographic scale. The ecological models developed indicate that minority eastern mtDNA lineages of
T. destruens differ in their potential ecological niche according to their relation to extreme climatic variables. By contrast, the most widespread western lineages display a close relationship with their Pinus host tree. Also, higher levels of exclusive and endemic haplotypes were predicted in areas with high temperature variability in the Mediterranean wet period. The eastern group niche seems to be included in part of the range
of the ecological space of the two major western clades. This result suggests that a niche shift might have started, being still an early relationship with its host tree Pinus brutia. Alternatively, the temperature variability in the wettest period appears to be related to a high proportion of endemic haplotypes of T. destruens, possibly by involving a balance between the length of the flight reproductive period of T. destruens and the status of the host tree vigour and growth stage. This study illustrates a good example of the benefits that ecological niche modelling provides to understand population genetic and phylogeographic patterns.
Competition and cooperation between bark beetles, Tomicus yunnanensis Kirkendall and Faccoli and Tomicus minor (Hartig) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) were examined when they coexisted together in living Yunnan pine trees (Pinus yunnanensis Franchet) in Yunnan province in Southwest China. T. yunnanensis bark beetles were observed to initiate dispersal from pine shoots to trunks in November, while the majority of T. minor begins to transfer in December. T. yunnanensis mainly attacks the top and middle parts of the trunk, whereas T. minor mainly resides in the lower and middle parts of the trunk. The patterns of attack densities of these two species were similar, but with T. yunnanensis colonizing the upper section of the trunk and T. minor the lower trunk. The highest attack density of T. Yunnanensis was 297 egg galleries/m2, and the highest attack density of T. minor was 305 egg galleries/m2. Although there was significant overlap for the same bark areas, the two species generally colonize different areas of the tree, which reduces the intensity of competition for the relatively thin layer of phloem-cambium tissues where the beetles feed and reside.
Tomicus are among the most dangerous pine pests. In this paper we assess the genetic structure of some Italian Tomicus populations, and the possible sympatry of T. destruens and T. piniperda. A fragment 358 bp long of the mitochondrial DNA relative to the COI was investigated in eight populations by SSCP analyses and sequencing. In the sampled populations T. destruens and T. piniperda were not found to be sympatric. T. destruens populations of southern and central Italy strongly differ from a population of northern Italy. The phylogeographic analysis of T. destruens populations in Europe is geographically structured, probably due to the fragmentation of the host pine ranges. The populations of T. piniperda are polymorphic, with haplotypes occurring also in Europe and Asia. T. piniperda populations seem to be genetically unstructured because of both the continuous distribution area of its main host (Pinus sylvestris) and the international trade of pine timber. Structure génétique et phylogéographie des populations de Tomicus destruens et T. piniperda (Coleoptera Scolytidae) en Italie. Le genre Tomicus figure parmi les espèces les plus dangereuses pour les forêts de pins. La structure génétique de huit populations italiennes de T. destruens et T. piniperda a été étudiée, ainsi que la sympatrie possible des deux espèces. Un fragment de 358 pb de l’ADN mitochondrial relatif au COI a été amplifié, séquencé et soumis à une analyse par SSCP. Aucun cas de sympatrie n’a été observé entre T. destruens et T. piniperda. Les populations de T. destruens d’Italie méridionale et centrale sont très différentes d’une population d’Italie du Nord. T. destruens montre une structuration géographique probablement liée à la distribution fragmentée des pins hôtes. Par contre, les populations de T. piniperda sont très polymorphes, sans doute à cause de la distribution continue de son principal hôte, le pin sylvestre, ainsi qu’au commerce international de bois.
Tropical forest disturbance contributes to global climate change from increased carbon emissions, and loss of biodiversity. Thus, identifying its direct causes and underlying drivers is necessary for effective land use and conservation strategies. We integrated remote sensing forest cover data from 2000 to 2018 with georeferenced national socioeconomic and field‐collected household data to determine underlying drivers behind forest cover transitions (e.g. deforestation, degradation and recovery) in the Selva Maya of southeast Mexico. Spatial and statistical models (multinomial logistic regression, log‐linear regression, and ANOVA), and social science methods (household surveys and Qualitative Comparative Analysis) were applied to evaluate and identify socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental drivers intervening at landscape and community scales. Forest cover transitions varied geographically, and associated drivers differed by scale of analysis. Using multiple methods improved the understanding of drivers. Population growth, poverty and roads are major drivers influencing forest cover transitions (e.g. deforestation, degradation and recovery) in the landscape. Community scale analysis identified more drivers and offered greater detail of causal relationships. Besides population and poverty, less off‐farm employment, agriculture and cattle production, immigrant population and private property were related to deforestation and degradation. Indigenous populations, forest dependence, off‐farm employment and common property were associated with forest conservation. Sustainable rural development should include poverty alleviation through diversification of economic activities and increased off‐farm employment opportunities. Conservation measures should pursue the enhancement of forest value for local subsistence and economic benefits by strengthening community forest management and enterprises.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Biodiversity studies rely heavily on estimates of species' distributions often obtained through ecological niche modelling. Numerous software packages exist that allow users to model ecological niches using machine learning and statistical methods. However, no existing package with a graphical user interface allows users to perform model calibration and selection based on convex forms such as ellipsoids, which may match fundamental ecological niche shapes better, incorporating tools for exploring, modelling, and evaluating niches and distributions that are intuitive for both novice and proficient users.
Here we describe an r package, N iche T ool B ox ( ntbox ), that allows users to conduct all processing steps involved in ecological niche modelling: downloading and curating occurrence data, obtaining and transforming environmental data layers, selecting environmental variables, exploring relationships between geographic and environmental spaces, calibrating and selecting ellipsoid models, evaluating models using binomial and partial ROC tests, assessing extrapolation risk, and performing geographic information system operations via a graphical user interface. A summary of the entire workflow is produced for use as a stand‐alone algorithm or as part of research reports.
The method is explained in detail and tested via modelling the threatened feline species Leopardus wiedii . Georeferenced occurrence data for this species are queried to display both point occurrences and the IUCN extent of occurrence polygon (IUCN, 2007). This information is used to illustrate tools available for accessing, processing and exploring biodiversity data (e.g. number of occurrences and chronology of collecting) and transforming environmental data (e.g. a summary PCA for 19 bioclimatic layers). Visualizations of three‐dimensional ecological niches modelled as minimum volume ellipsoids are developed with ancillary statistics. This niche model is then projected to geographic space, to represent a corresponding potential suitability map.
Using ntbox allows a fast and straightforward means by which to retrieve and manipulate occurrence and environmental data, which can then be implemented in model calibration, projection and evaluation for assessing distributions of species in geographic space and their corresponding environmental combinations.
Effects of climate and tree vitality on the infestation of Scots pines by bark-dwelling insects
The development of insects depends not only on temperature but also on the chemical composition of their host plant. On the one hand, the nutritional quality and in particular the nitrogen content affects insect propagation, and on the other hand, toxic defense compounds impact the colonization by and the survival of insects. The production of such plant defense compounds is restricted under dry conditions. In the Valais, Switzerland, studies on the influence of temperature and drought on bark-dwelling insects were carried out during the last 15 years. The buprestid Phaenops cyanea, the bark beetle Ips acuminatus, and to a lesser extent the bark beetle Tomicus minor showed the greatest potential for damage. They were able to colonize Scots pines within a large range of vitality levels, measured as crown needle loss, but with large regional differences. Infestation levels by these and other bark-dwelling beetles increased with increasing needle loss. The same pattern was found for predatory insects. The intensity of maturation feeding of Tomicus bark beetles depended on crown transparency interacting with tree water supply. The temporal development of infestations by aggressive bark-dwelling insects followed the course of an index of tree drought stress quite closely. In general, infestation levels showed large regional differences. Breeding density of aggressive bark-dwelling insects increased with elevation which can be attributed to decreasing numbers of natural enemies and to reduced resin flow at lower temperatures.
Bark Beetles: Biology and Ecology of Native and Invasive Species provides a thorough discussion of these economically important pests of coniferous and broadleaf trees and their importance in agriculture. It is the first book in the market solely dedicated to this important group of insects, and contains 15 chapters on natural history and ecology, morphology, taxonomy and phylogenetics, evolution and diversity, population dynamics, resistance, symbiotic associations, natural enemies, climate change, management strategies, economics, and politics, with some chapters exclusively devoted to some of the most economically important bark beetle genera, including Dendroctonus, Ips, Tomicus, Hypothenemus, and Scolytus.
This text is ideal for entomology and forestry courses, and is aimed at scientists, faculty members, forest managers, practitioners of biological control of insect pests, mycologists interested in bark beetle-fungal associations, and students in the disciplines of entomology, ecology, and forestry.
This study investigated the impacts of Tomicus minor on Tomicus piniperda when the two Tomicus species coexist in the trunks of living Yunnan pine (Pinus yunnanensis L.) trees growing in the Kunming region, in south-western China. Tomicus piniperda mostly locates in the mid- and upper trunks of Yunnan pine tree; whereas T. minor mainly attacks the mid- and lower trunks. In the mid-trunk area from 1.0 to 5.0 m above ground, there are overlapping attack zones for the two Tomicus species, which accounts for an average of 80% of the entire zone occupied by T. piniperda and an average of 70% of the zone occupied by T. minor. In correspondence with their attack distributions, the average attack densities of the two species varied with height along the trunk, with 165.3 egg galleries per m2 at a height of 6 m for T. piniperda, and 138.2 egg galleries per m2 at the 1 m height for T. minor. It is suggested that T. minor adjusts its attack pattern with respect to T. piniperda, and thereby minimizes interspecific competition. No remarkable difference of average T. piniperda egg gallery length was found between the zone in which only T. piniperda occurred and the zone in which T. piniperda and T. minor coexisted; this is suggested to be due to low host quality in the upper trunk region where only T. piniperda was present. The number of T. piniperda larval galleries was highest when only T. piniperda was present, and decreased as T. piniperda and T. minor coexisted, particularly in the case when the density of T. piniperda was less than that of T. minor. Average larval density was 1649 larval galleries per m2 where only T. piniperda occurred. However, when T. piniperda coexisted with T. minor, T. piniperda larval density averaged 1010 per m2 when T. piniperda density was higher than T. minor, and averaged 442 per m2 when T. piniperda density was less than T. minor, which led to the conclusion that T. minor makes a negative impact on T. piniperda reproduction when the two Tomicus species jointly colonize the same trunk of Yunnan pine tree.
1 The Mediterranean pine shoot beetle Tomicus destruens has long been indistinguishable from its congeneric Tomicus piniperda . Both species attack pines, and can be found in sympatry. The geographical distribution of T. destruens is still unclear in most of the Mediterranean Basin.
2 We aimed to describe the geographical distribution and zones of sympatry of both species in the Iberian Peninsula and France, and to study the molecular phylogeographical pattern of T. destruens .
3 Tomicus spp. adults were sampled in Portugal, Spain and France, and a portion of the mitochondrial genes COI and COII was sequenced for 84 individuals. Sequences were aligned to a data set previously obtained from French localities.
4 Tomicus destruens was found in all populations, except for one locality in Portugal and in the Landes (France). It was in sympatry with T. piniperda in two locations on Pinus pinaster and one location on Pinus radiata .
5 Within‐population genetic diversity was high, but we found a significant pattern of spatial distribution of genetic variation, as well as a significant effect of the host tree.
6 The data suggest the existence of two glacial refugia, from which T. destruens recolonized its current range. One refugium was located in Portugal where the beetle probably evolved on P. pinaster . The corresponding haplotypes show a West–East frequency gradient. The other refugium was probably in the eastern range, where the beetles evolved on Pinus halepensis and P. pinea . The corresponding haplotypes show an East–West frequency gradient.
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