Dezene P.W. Huber’s research while affiliated with University of Northern British Columbia and other places

Canadian entomology collections contain valuable biodiversity and ecological data. To be most accessible to those working outside of the collections, they need to be digitised. Multiple analyses of the digital database of the Odonata collection at the Royal British Columbia Museum (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) were conducted. These analyses reveal that complete digital datasets can be used to explore questions of historical and current geographical distribution and species composition differences based on ecoprovince and elevation. The results of these analyses can be used directly in conservation and climate change impact mitigation decisions. These analyses are possible only because the Odonata collection has received concerted effort to digitise all specimen records. The full value of long-term historical insect biodiversity data can be accessed only once collections are digitised. Additional training and employment of collection management and curatorial staff is essential to optimise the use of abundant but underused Canadian biodiversity data.

Canadian entomology collections contain valuable biodiversity and ecological data. To be most accessible to those working outside of the collections, they need to be digitised. Multiple analyses of the digital database of the Odonata collection at the Royal British Columbia Museum (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) were conducted. These analyses reveal that complete digital datasets can be used to explore questions of historical and current geographical distribution and species composition differences based on ecoprovince and elevation. The results of these analyses can be used directly in conservation and climate change impact mitigation decisions. These analyses are possible only because the Odonata collection has received concerted effort to digitise all specimen records. The full value of long-term historical insect biodiversity data can be accessed only once collections are digitised. Additional training and employment of collection management and curatorial staff is essential to optimise the use of abundant but underused Canadian biodiversity data.

The phoretic mite assemblage of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), has not been thoroughly documented. Phoretic mites can impact fitness and population dynamics of hosts; documenting a mite assemblage may provide information on their ecological roles. We caught Douglas-fir beetles in central British Columbia, Canada, and sorted associated mites into morphospecies. Representatives of the morphospecies were DNA barcoded ( CO 1 barcode region), indicating at least nine operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Representatives of all OTUs were slide-mounted and morphologically identified. There was a mean of 50.5 ± 4.7 mites per beetle, with both females and males carrying similar numbers of most mite species, except for OTU B 1 , which was found in higher numbers on females. OTU B 1 , Parawinterschmidtia furnissi (Woodring) (Astigmata: Winterschmidtiidae), was found in substantially higher numbers than all other OTUs and was always clustered in large aggregations in an anterior pocket on the beetles’ subelytral surface. When this OTU was removed from the calculation, the mean number dropped to 1.3 ± 0.2 mites per beetle. The consistent high numbers of OTU B 1 in conjunction with its consistent anatomical aggregation suggests an important interaction between this particular mite species and the Douglas-fir beetle.

Northern British Columbia, Canada, is an undersurveyed region for aquatic macroinvertebrates. We surveyed the Stellako River, a culturally and economically important river in the region, for adult caddisflies using Malaise traps, then identified species by using DNA barcoding, which revealed the presence of Protoptila coloma Ross (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae). This is the first record of this species in Canada; it represents a 680-km northwards expansion of the species’ currently known range.

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.

Canadian entomology collections contain valuable biodiversity and ecological data, but they must be digitized in order to be usable by those working outside of the collections. Multiple analyses of the digital database of the Odonata collection at the Royal British Columbia Museum were conducted. These analyses reveal that complete digital datasets can be used to explore questions of historical and current geographical distribution and species composition differences based on ecoprovince and elevation. The results of these analyses can be used directly in conservation and climate change impact mitigation decisions. These analyses are only possible because the Odonata collection has received concerted effort to digitize all specimen records. The full value of long-term historical insect biodiversity data can only be accessed once collections are digitized. Additional training and employment of collection management and curatorial staff is essential to optimize the use of abundant, but underutilized, Canadian biodiversity data.

The Platanthera Rich. (Orchidoideae) comprise a speciose genus of orchids primarily in the northern hemisphere, with up to 200 known species worldwide. Individual species are known to self‐pollinate, but many rely on insect pollinators with characteristics such as floral color, timing of floral odor emissions, nectar rewards, and spur length associated with particular pollination syndromes. As with many orchids, some orchid–pollinator associations are likely highly co‐evolved, but we also know that some Platanthera spp. are the result of hybridization events, which implies a lack of pollinator fidelity in some cases. Some Platanthera spp. occur in large numbers which, coupled with the numerous Platanthera –pollinator systems, make them accessible as study species and useful for co‐evolutionary studies. Due to the likely effects of climate change and ongoing development on Platanthera spp. habitats, these orchids and their associated pollinators should be a focus of conservation attention and management. However, while there is a fairly substantial literature coverage of Platanthera –pollinator occurrence and interactions, there are still wide gaps in our understanding of the species involved in these systems. In this systematic review, we outline what is current knowledge and provide guidance on further research that will increase our understanding of orchid–insect co‐evolutionary relationships. Our review covers 157 orchid species and about 233 pollinator species interacting with 30 Platanthera spp. We provide analyses on aspects of these interactions such as flower morphology, known insect partners of Platanthera species, insect‐ Platanthera specificity, pollination visitor timing (diurnal vs. nocturnal), floral rewards, and insect behavior affecting pollination outcomes (e.g., pollinia placement). A substantial number of Platanthera spp. and at least a few of their known pollinators are of official (IUCN) conservation concern – and many of their pollinators remain unassessed or even currently unknown – which adds to the urgency of further research on these co‐evolved relationships.

Mountain pine beetles began to appear at epidemic levels in Alberta, Canada, in 2006, following six years of extensive outbreaks in neighboring British Columbia. We assessed the effect of genetic MPB in-flights from the peak of the outbreak on the genetic structure of established populations of MPB and the change over time in novel regions colonized by these inflights. We used five locations sampled during the peak of the outbreak (2005/2007) and re-sampled in 2016. We performed a ddRADseq protocol to generate a SNP dataset via single-end Illumina sequencing. We detected a northern and southern genetic cluster in both sampling sets (2005/2007 and 2016) and a demographic shift in cluster assignment after ~10 generations from south to north in two of the sites in the path of the northern outbreak. Fst values were significantly different between most sites in the same years and between the same sites at different years, with some exceptions for northern sites established by inflights. Overall, sites in the spreading path of the MPB outbreak have taken on the genetic structure of the contiguous northern outbreak except for an isolated site in Golden, BC, and in Mount Robson Provincial Park where populations are admixed between north and south. Our results suggest that range expansion during insect outbreaks can alter the genetic structure of established populations and lead to interbreeding between populations.

The phoretic mite assemblage of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has not been as thoroughly documented as that of some other ecologically and economically important bark beetle species. Phoretic mites can impact individual fitness and population dynamics of their hosts and documenting the mite assemblage associated with a bark beetle may provide information on their ecological and interactive roles. We caught Douglas-fir beetles over two summers in central British Columbia, Canada and sorted the associated mites into morphospecies. Representatives of the morphospecies were DNA barcoded (cytochrome oxidate I barcode region) which indicated at least nine distinct Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). There was a mean of 50.5 +/- 4.7 mites per beetle with both females and males carrying similar numbers of most mite species. However one OTU (Sarcoptiformes: Hemisarcoptidae) was found in substantially higher numbers than all other OTUs, and was always clustered in large aggregations in an anterior pocket on the sub-elytral surface. When B1 was removed from the mean, there were only 1.3 +/- 0.2 mites per beetle. The consistent high numbers of that OTU in conjunction with its consistent anatomical aggregation suggests an important interaction between that mite species and the Douglas-fir beetle.

Insect herbivores must contend with constitutive and induced plant defenses. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) has expanded its range east of the Rocky Mountains into the western boreal forest and is encountering evolutionarily naïve lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta) and jack pines (Pinus banksiana). Pinus contorta and P. banksiana in the expanded range have different constitutive and induced defenses in response to wounding and inoculation with fungal associates of D. ponderosae. In the historic range, previous studies have examined phloem terpene content prior to and just after D. ponderosae mass attack, but the terpene profile of attacked trees post-overwintering is unknown. We examined the response of mature P. contorta and P. banksiana trees to experimentally-applied mass attack by D. ponderosae and quantified phloem terpenes at three time points, pre-attack, post-attack (same season), and the following spring, post-overwintering. Phloem content of total terpenes as well as many individual terpenes increased after D. ponderosae attack but were only significantly higher than pre-attack levels at the post-overwintering time point in both P. contorta and P. banksiana. The absence of a significant increase in phloem terpenes in the month following attack in naïve pines is a potential cause for increased D. ponderosae offspring production reported in naïve P. contorta. Beetle attack density did not influence the phloem terpene profiles of either species and there was no significant interaction between attack density and sampling time on terpene content. High phloem terpenes in trees that are attacked at low densities could prime these trees for defense against attacks in the following season but it could also make these trees more apparent to early-foraging beetles and facilitate efficient mass attack at low D. ponderosae population densities in the expanded range.