Fluorescent powder marking reduces condition but not survivorship in adult mountain pine beetles

Abstract

We investigated the impact of different fluorescent marking powders on both survivorship and daily body condition, measured as mass/volume ratio, using adult mountain pine beetles, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in a laboratory study. Initial condition of the marked beetle groups did not differ from that of an unmarked group. However, beetles in better initial condition survived longer, thus validating our condition index. The condition but not the survivorship of mountain pine beetles was affected by the marking treatment. Overall, the condition of beetles declined over time. The condition of marked beetles decreased at a higher rate than that of unmarked beetles while alive but at a lower rate after death. This pattern of decreasing condition suggests that marked beetles lost water faster than unmarked beetles while alive, so unmarked beetles had more water to lose after death. Because reduced condition may affect optimal dispersal behaviour, we suggest that these effects be routinely examined and minimized in mark-recapture studies.Résumé-Nous avons étudié l'impact de poudres fluorescentes de marquage sur la survie et sur la condition journalière, mesurée par le rapport masse/volume (mg/mm 3 ), dans une étude en laboratoire de dendroctones du pin ponderosa, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). La condition initiale des coléoptères est semblable dans les groupes marqués et non marqués. Cependant, les coléoptères en meilleure condition initiale survivent plus longtemps, ce qui confirme la validité de notre indice de condition. Le marquage affecte la condition, mais non la survie, des dendroctones du pin ponderosa. Globalement, la condition des coléoptères diminue avec le temps. La condition des coléoptères marqués décline plus rapidement que celle des coléoptères non marqués durant leur vie; après la mort, leur taux de déclin est plus lent. Ce patron de déclin de la condition laisse croire que les coléoptères marqués perdent de l'eau plus rapidement que les non marqués durant leur vie, si bien qu'après la mort, les coléoptères non marqués ont plus d'eau à perdre. Parce qu'une condition inférieure peut affecter le comportement optimal de dispersion, nous suggérons d'examiner systématiquement ces effets et de les minimiser dans les études de marquage et de recapture.[Traduit par la Rédaction] Reid and Reid 588

European Stone Fruit Yellows: A Mark, Release and Recapture Experiment Tracking the Dispersal of its Vector Cacopsylla pruni (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in a Model Apricot Orchard and Epidemiological Studies in Lower Austria

“…Marking experiments on mountain pine beetles ( Dentroctonus ponderosae , Coleoptera: Cucurlionidae), however, showed that fluorescent dyes did not reduce the viability of the beetles but they influenced their physical condition. The authors presumed, therefore, that fluorescent powders might affect optimal dispersal behaviour (Reid and Reid ).…”

Factors influencing dispersal by flight in bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): from genes to landscapes

“…Mark-recapture involves the collection or rearing of the target insect followed by the release of marked individuals at a specific location. Bark beetles have been marked externally with paint or coloured powder or by elytra engraving (Jactel 1991;Duelli et al 1997;Barclay et al 1998;Reid and Reid 2008;Doležal et al 2016) prior to release in forest stands. Application of powder to the outside of beetle-infested tree bolts allows for passive marking of beetles as they emerge from the bolt.…”

Assessment of potential effects and detection efficacy of a fluorescent marking system on a medically important hard tick,Haemaphysalis longicornis(Acari: Ixodidae)

“…However, caution is warranted when applying this method to different organisms as chemical application may have distinct effects . Indeed, Reid and Reid have found that fluorescent marking can induce a faster mass loss in Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) compared to unmarked individuals. Our results demonstrate that fluorescent marking does not affect the basic biology, including survivorship, of H. longicornis , indicating its adequacy for tracking ticks.…”