Diversity and prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi (Ascomycota, Hypocreales) in epidemic populations of bark beetles (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) in spruce forests of the Tatra National Park in Slovakia

Abstract

Bark beetles are serious forest pests in Slovakia. Their outbreaks may have significant ecological and economic impacts on spruce forests. There is a variety of natural enemies that activate themselves during population outbreaks of insects and entomopathogenic fungi belong to important antagonists with a potential to regulate populations of their hosts. In 2014–2016, species richness and prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi were evaluated during the bark beetle outbreaks in spruce forests affected by windstorms in the Tatra National Park in Slovakia. Three Beauveria species, B. bassiana, B. caledonica and B. pseudobassiana, with Metapochonia bulbillosa were identified from 271 specimens of three bark beetle species, Ips typographus, Ips amitinus and Pityogenes chalcographus. Beauveria bassiana was the dominant pathogen and infected all three bark beetle species. Phylogenetic analysis identified three phylogenetic groups of B. bassiana in the evaluated host populations. M. bulbillosa was reported for the first time from bark beetle hosts and Slovakia. The prevalence of fungal infection in natural populations of I. typographus was low, varied between 0.07 and 0.72%, and have little influence on the bark beetle abundance.

Infestation by Ips amitinus (Eichhoff, 1872), Its Associated Fungi, and Butt Rots in Stands of Pinus sibirica in South-Western Siberia

“…Yet, the most common fungus isolated was the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana s.l. Using a similar methodological approach, the fungus was exclusively detected in mycosed I. amitinus beetles in its native range in central Europe (Slovakia) [18]. By contrast, in studies in which the insect body was dissected and its internal organs inspected using a light microscope, B. bassiana has not been detected; instead, the genera of entomopathogens such as the ascomycete Metschnikovia, sporozoan Gregarina, zygomycete Chytridiopsis [15,16,39], and fungi-related spore-forming unicellular parasite Microsporidium [17] have been reported.…”

Selection of Elms Tolerant to Dutch Elm Disease in South-West Romania

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10] produce the most severe perturbation. For example, the bark beetle insect-wood pathogen relationship is involved in many vascular diseases which can create large outbreaks that are difficult to manage, especially if they are accompanied by climate extremes [11][12][13][14].…”