Host specificity of ambrosia and bark beetles (Col., Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) in a New Guinea rainforest

Abstract

Abstract. 1. Bark and ambrosia beetles are crucial for woody biomass decomposition in tropical forests worldwide. Despite that, quantitative data on their host specificity are scarce.2. Bark and ambrosia beetles (Scolytinae and Platypodinae) were reared from 13 species of tropical trees representing 11 families from all major lineages of dicotyledonous plants. Standardised samples of beetle-infested twigs, branches, trunks, and roots were taken from three individuals of each tree species growing in a lowland tropical rainforest in Papua New Guinea.3. A total of 81742 beetles from 74 species were reared, 67 of them identified. Local species richness of bark and ambrosia beetles was estimated at 80-92 species.4. Ambrosia beetles were broad generalists as 95% of species did not show any preference for a particular host species or clade. Similarity of ambrosia beetle communities from different tree species was not correlated with phylogenetic distances between tree species. Similarity of ambrosia beetle communities from individual conspecific trees was not higher than that from heterospecific trees and different parts of the trees hosted similar ambrosia beetle communities, as only a few species preferred particular tree parts.5. In contrast, phloeophagous bark beetles showed strict specificity to host plant genus or family. However, this guild was poor in species (12 species) and restricted to only three plant families (Moraceae, Myristicaceae, Sapindaceae).6. Local diversity of both bark and ambrosia beetles is not driven by the local diversity of trees in tropical forests, since ambrosia beetles display no host specificity and bark beetles are species poor and restricted to a few plant families.

Attraction of Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, Xyleborus Glabratus, To Leaf Volatiles of its Host Plants in North America

“…Contrary to most Xavier Martini and Marc A. Hughes contributed equally to this work. ambrosia beetles that attack weakened, damaged or recently dead trees (Hulcr et al 2007;Lindgren 1990), X. glabratus can attack live and apparently healthy trees within its introduced range in the US Mayfield et al 2008). Additionally, X. glabratus is not attracted to ethanol (Hanula and Sullivan 2008;Johnson et al 2014), a semiochemical indicative of tree stress and decay (Kelsey et al 2014;Kimmerer and Kozlowski 1982) that is used as an attractant for monitoring of various ambrosia beetles and wood borers of the Xyleborini tribe (Miller and Rabaglia 2009;Montgomery and Wargo 1983;Ranger et al 2010).…”

Predicting tropical insect herbivore abundance from host plant traits and phylogeny

“…Evidence that evolved defenses play a role in mediating plant-herbivore interactions (Agrawal 2005) has supported the view that a phylogenetic context is needed to test predictions about trophic relationships (Lamarre et al 2012). The distribution of herbivore dietary preferences with respect to plant community phylogeny has further suggested that many tropical insect species are clade specialists (Tavakilian et al 1997, Berkov and Tavakilian 1999, Novotny et al 2002, 2004, 2010, Novotny and Basset 2005, Odegaard et al 2005, Weiblen et al 2006, Dyer et al 2007, Hulcr et al 2007). However, it is unclear what effect the phylogenetic distribution of plant traits might have on overall patterns of herbivore abundance at the community level.…”

Host selection and niche differentiation in sucking lice (Insecta: Anoplura) among small mammals in southwestern China

“…These species should not be included in the host selection analyses as their apparent narrow host range can be artifact (Novotny and Basset 2000;Hulcr et al 2007). Niche overlap in host resource utilization for 12 most abundant sucking louse species (comprised of 92.13% of total louse species) on 18 species of small mammalian hosts (regarded as 18 series of host resources for the lice) was evaluated using Pianka index (Pianka 1973):…”