Climate, host and geography shape insect and fungal communities of trees

Abstract

Non-native pests, climate change, and their interactions are likely to alter relationships between trees and tree-associated organisms with consequences for forest health. To understand and predict such changes, factors structuring tree-associated communities need to be determined. Here, we analysed the data consisting of records of insects and fungi collected from dormant twigs from 155 tree species at 51 botanical gardens or arboreta in 32 countries. Generalized dissimilarity models revealed similar relative importance of studied climatic, host-related and geographic factors on differences in tree-associated communities. Mean annual temperature, phylogenetic distance between hosts and geographic distance between locations were the major drivers of dissimilarities. The increasing importance of high temperatures on differences in studied communities indicate that climate change could affect tree-associated organisms directly and indirectly through host range shifts. Insect and fungal communities were more similar between closely related vs. distant hosts suggesting that host range shifts may facilitate the emergence of new pests. Moreover, dissimilarities among tree-associated communities increased with geographic distance indicating that human-mediated transport may serve as a pathway of the introductions of new pests. The results of this study highlight the need to limit the establishment of tree pests and increase the resilience of forest ecosystems to changes in climate.

Modelling Distribution of an Endangered Longhorn Beetle, Callipogon relictus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), in Northeast Asia

“…They create a system of vertical tunnels and manage to avoid critical deviations in bioclimatic factors both in the winter and summer seasons thanks to the unique microclimatic conditions created by the wood itself. The transformational activities of the larvae enable them to alter moisture parameters within the tree trunk, promoting the development of xylophagous fungi mycelium and other microorganisms, which contribute to enhancing the nutritive properties of lowcarbohydrate wood [6][7][8]45]. Low temperatures during the winter period in the conditions of the monsoonal climate of southern Primorye result in the beetle larvae entering diapause (personal field observations of the authors).…”

Guest edited collection: fungal evolution and diversity

“…The collection included six papers in three broad areas: Diversity, Chemical Diversity and Ecology. A hugely important paper is Franic et al 7 who analysed records of insects and fungi collected from dormant twigs from 155 tree species at 51 botanical gardens/arboreta in 32 countries. The increasing importance of high temperatures on differences in studied communities indicate that climate change could affect tree-associated organisms directly and indirectly through host range shifts.…”

Diversity and Composition of Belowground Fungal Communities Associated with Picea abies L. (H.) Karst. and Larix sp. Mill.: A Comparative Study

“…trees may be considered as an alternative to P. abies as they thrive in environments that are currently occupied by P. abies [32]. Nonetheless, native tree species frequently coexist with a wide range of other organisms, including fungi [33]. The biodiversity of these organisms may be disturbed by changes in the natural forest's structure and composition, thereby affecting the functioning of forest ecosystems.…”