Biomass losses resulting from insect and disease invasions in US forests

Fei, Songlin; Morin, Randall S.; Oswalt, Christopher M.; Liebhold, Andrew M.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1820601116

Cited by 125 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In particular, the number of non-native insects has grown exponentially since the 1950s (Seebens et al, 2017), making them the most numerous and costly group of invasive animals worldwide (Bradshaw et al, 2016;Fei, Morin, Oswalt, & Liebhold, 2019).…”

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confidence: 99%

Moving eDNA surveys onto land: Strategies for active eDNA aggregation to detect invasive forest insects

Valentin

Fonseca

Gable

et al. 2020

Molecular Ecology Resources

100

154

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The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys to monitor terrestrial species has been relatively limited, with successful implementations still confined to sampling DNA from natural or artificial water bodies and soil. Sampling water for eDNA depends on proximity to or availability of water, whereas eDNA from soil is limited in its spatial scale due to the large quantities necessary for processing and difficulty in doing so. These challenges limit the widespread use of eDNA in several systems, such as surveying forests for invasive insects. We developed two new eDNA aggregation approaches that overcome the challenges of above‐ground terrestrial sampling and eliminate the dependency on creating or utilizing pre‐existing water bodies to conduct eDNA sampling. The first, “spray aggregation,” uses spray action to remove eDNA from surface substrates and was developed for shrubs and other understorey vegetation, while the second, “tree rolling,” uses physical transfer via a roller to remove eDNA from the surface of tree trunks and large branches. We tested these approaches by surveying for spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, a recent invasive pest of northeastern USA that is considered a significant ecological and economic threat to forests and agriculture. We found that our terrestrial eDNA surveys matched visual surveys, but also detected L. delicatula presence ahead of visual surveys, indicating increased sensitivity of terrestrial eDNA surveys over currently used methodology. The terrestrial eDNA approaches we describe can be adapted for use in surveying a variety of forest insects and represent a novel strategy for surveying terrestrial biodiversity.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving eDNA surveys onto land: Strategies for active eDNA aggregation to detect invasive forest insects

Valentin

Fonseca

Gable

et al. 2020

Molecular Ecology Resources

100

154

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“…Beech bark disease was prevalent at all three sites and probably caused some tree mortality at each site but it is unlikely it was responsible for the 20 and 60% increases in cumulative beech mortality we observed at Oakfield in 2018 and Sandy Lake in 2015, respectively. Annual mortality from beech bark disease is greatest during the first 10 years of invasion (the "killing front") and subsequently averages only about 2% of live biomass in the aftermath forest (Fei et al, 2019); diseased beech that survive the initial wave of mortality survive for many years (Gavin and Peart, 1993;Morin et al, 2007). Contrary to our prediction, our contingency table analysis showed that beech mortality was independent of the degree of cankering by beech bark disease, except at Mount Uniacke, where infestation by the weevil was relatively low until 2018.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the Invasive Beech Leaf-Mining Weevil, Orchestes fagi, on American Beech in Nova Scotia, Canada

Sweeney

Hughes

Zhang³

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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The beech leaf-mining weevil, Orchestes fagi (L.), is native to Europe where it commonly attacks European beech. The weevil was discovered infesting American beech in Halifax and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada in 2012, but anecdotal reports of defoliated beech in the Halifax area as early as 2006 suggest it established 5-10 years prior to its discovery. Our objectives were to estimate the impact of O. fagi on American beech in forested sites and urban areas, as well as its economic impact on owners of residential properties with mature American beech. In 2014, we established fifteen plots in forested sites containing a total of 260 American beech at Sandy Lake, Oakfield, and Mount Uniacke (n = 5 plots per site), where weevil infestation levels were moderate, low, and nil, respectively. At the same time we recorded the degree of cankering by beech bark disease on the main stems of each tree. Plots were visited annually to record tree mortality (2014-2019) and percentage of leaves with larval mines or adult feeding (2016-2019). Between 2016 and 2019, the percentage of leaves mined by weevil larvae increased from 6 to 59% at Mount Uniacke and from 48 to 83% at Oakfield. During the same period, cumulative beech mortality increased from 35 to 48% at Mount Uniacke and from 10 to 70% at Oakfield. At Sandy Lake in 2016, 88% of the beech trees had died and there were too few living beech to collect a leaf sample in our plots so estimates of weevil damage (87% of leaves with mines) were obtained from life table plots in the same area. Tree mortality was associated with severity of cankering by beech bark disease only at Mount Uniacke, the site with the fewest years of defoliation by the leaf-mining weevil. We also surveyed residents of Halifax in 2016 and 2018 to determine the rate of beech mortality and costs of tree removal in urban residential areas in the same region (within 40 km) of the forest areas. Relative to the forested sites at Sandy lake and Oakfield, mortality rates were lower in urban areas (32% in 2016, 44% in 2018), even though signs of weevil defoliation had been apparent to residents as early as 2011-2012.

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“…The insect likely became established in North America in the early 1990s, began killing trees by 1997 (Siegert, McCullough, Liebhold, & Telewski, 2014), and has since killed millions of Fraxinus spp. in the eastern USA (Herms & McCullough, 2014; Morin, Liebhold, Pugh, & Crocker, 2017), resulting in significant biomass losses (Fei, Morin, Oswalt, & Liebhold, 2019). Initial radial range expansion by EAB at the sub‐county level occurred at ~4 km/year between 1998 and 2001, and ~13 km/year between 2001 and 2003 (Siegert et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal dynamics and drivers of landscape‐level spread by emerald ash borer

Ward

Fei

Liebhold

2020

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Non‐native insects pose threats to forest health and often spread via stratified dispersal in which long‐distance jumps cause elevated rates of range expansion. Quantifying patterns and developing models of spread are central to understanding drivers of invasion and forecasting future invasions. We investigated the utility of models for characterizing and predicting spread of emerald ash borer (EAB), quantified temporal dynamics of spread and identified correlates of county‐level invasion risk. We estimated rates and frequency of EAB spread and length of long‐distance jumps throughout the contiguous USA from 1997 to 2018 and compared observed patterns with model predictions. A time‐to‐event model was then developed at the county level to assess the influence of habitat characteristics and propagule pressure on invasion risk. The final model was used to forecast invasion risk across the contiguous USA. Range expansion by EAB accorded well with model predictions. Following the initial establishment phase, range expansion rates were biphasic, shifting to a faster, linear pattern around 2002 and then declining from 2015 onwards. From 2003 onwards, EAB invaded 6–134 new counties per year, including a mean of 14 discrete jumps per year averaging 93 ± 7 SE km. Risk of spread was positively associated with proximity to previously invaded areas, human population density and densities of ash and non‐ash trees in rural forests but negatively associated with temperature. Synthesis and applications. At the regional level, the invasion by emerald ash borer appears to be entering the saturation phase, indicating that most high‐risk counties in the eastern USA have been invaded. Even though spread has recently slowed, counties in close proximity to invaded areas and that have high densities of humans and trees are at the greatest risk of becoming invaded. Taken together, our findings provide insight into historical and future dynamics of range expansion by emerald ash borer, which can be used to guide risk assessments for potential invaders capable of frequent long‐distance dispersal.

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Biomass losses resulting from insect and disease invasions in US forests

Cited by 125 publications

References 31 publications

Moving eDNA surveys onto land: Strategies for active eDNA aggregation to detect invasive forest insects

Moving eDNA surveys onto land: Strategies for active eDNA aggregation to detect invasive forest insects

Impact of the Invasive Beech Leaf-Mining Weevil, Orchestes fagi, on American Beech in Nova Scotia, Canada

Temporal dynamics and drivers of landscape‐level spread by emerald ash borer

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