Speaker
Description
Ips typographus is one of the most destructive Eurasian forests pests causing major economic and ecologically losses annually. I. typographus typically attacks stressed trees but during mass outbreaks they are able to attack and kill vigorous trees as well. Main host of I. typographus is Norway spruce (Picea abies) but they occasionally attack trees of other species as well, possibly damaging even more forests. In our study we investigated the possibility of a host range expansion of I. typographus to an occasional host, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Scots pine is widely distributed over Eurasia and mostly adjacent to Norway spruce, making it geographically a reachable host for the beetles. We performed behavioral laboratory preference assay and tracked reproductive outcome and offspring fitness in the occasional and main host. Additionally, we inoculated spruce and pine logs with symbiotic fungi of I. typographus and observed their growth in both trees. We conclude that Ips typographus can reproduce in pine trees under given circumstances with reduced performance and fitness. Males and females show attraction to pine in short range behavioral assays and no clear preference towards the main host in two-choice Assays.
