This week we have four articles for you. 1. A paper looking at the potential distribution of a bark beetle. 2. The influence of Bird and bat predators of herbivorous defoliating insects 3. The risks associated with importing forest seed, and 4. A Japanese study demonstrating a greenhouse pest-control system that could have applications in forestry.
Factors Influencing the Geographical Distribution of Dendroctonus armandi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytidae) in China
Hang Ning, Lulu Dai, Danyang Fu, Bin Liu, Honglin Wang and Hui Chen – Forests Journal
In order to prevent any further spread of Dendroctonus armandi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytidae), it is important to clarify its geographic distribution in China. The current distribution of P. armandi does not limit the distribution of D. armandi, despite the host occurring in in northern and southwestern China. Temperature and precipitation limit the current distribution of this beetle. At the meso- and micro-scale levels, terrain variables create habitat selection preferences for D. armandi.
Avian and bat predators reduce pest abundances in a subtropical plantation
Koh ChaoNien, Chang Ching, Juang LingMu, Lu YungJen, Hwang WenBe – Taiwan Journal of Forest Science (Extended Abstract Only)
An exclosure experiment was used to examine the top-down effects of birds and bats on invertebrates and leaf damage due to insect herbivory on tree plantations. In total, there were 18 orders and 1811 individual invertebrates collected from April to July 2016. The abundance of invertebrates, specifically Lepidoptera larvae, was significantly elevated on B. javanica and F. griffithii when vertebrate insectivores were experimentally excluded from foraging. Such results demonstrated that vertebrate insectivores suppressed herbivorous insects.
https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20193190951
Cryptic Risks to Forest Biosecurity Associated with the Global Movement of Commercial Seed
Michelle Cleary, Funda Oskay, Hatice Tugba Doğmuş, Asko Lehtijärvi,,Stephen Woodward and Anna Maria Vettraino. – Preprint (awaiting peer review)
The import and export of tree seed carries with it risks of inadvertent introduction of pests and pathogens to hitherto unaffected regions. Although trade in seed of specified trees is regulated, phytosanitary requirements for most tree species are minimal, even those related to the most important forest tree species in a given region. In this study we used high throughput sequencing to show that highly diverse fungal communities were associated with seed of 14 different Pinus species obtained from seed banks (seed orchards) and retail sources (online distributors) in North America and Europe. Fungal diversity differed among the 23 seedlots tested.
http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2164/12295/preprints201905.0222.v1.pdf?sequence=1
A Promising Physical Pest-Control System Demonstrated in a Greenhouse Equipped with Simple Electrostatic Devices that Excluded all Insect Pests
Yoshihiro Takikawa, Koji Kakutani, Yoshinori Matsuda, Teruo Nonomura, Shin-ichi Kusakari, and Hideyoshi Toyoda – Preprint (awaiting peer review)
Applied electrostatic engineering can be used to construct greenhouses that prevent entry of insect pests. Two types of electric field screen were used to exclude pests from the greenhouse: single- and double-charged dipolar electric field screens (S- and D-screen, respectively). This screen eliminated the insects and the pest-free air was circulated inside the greenhouse. The D-screen with the yellow board attracted the whiteflies and was effective for trapping them when there was no wind. Our method kept the greenhouse pest-free throughout the entire period of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivation.
https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/201905.0256/download/final_file
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