Preference and Performance of the Pine-Tree Lappet Dendrolimus pini on Various Pine Species

Abstract

Global commercial and recreational transport may lead to the unintentional invasion of insect species, which in turn may pose a threat to native organisms. In this study, we aimed to assess whether the economically important pest of Pinus sylvestris L., moth Dendrolimus pini L. (DP), is able to feed on nine other pine species, and how this will affect its survival, performance, growth, and development. We carried out food choice tests and a no-choice laboratory feeding experiment. We found that this insect mostly preferred its prime host, but also Pinus cembra L., Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon, Pinus nigra J.F.Arnold, and Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C.Lawson. The performance test revealed a host-specific response of DP to the host plant. This response was manifested in a large variation in body mass as well as in a decrease or increase in life-history traits, such as fecundity, and wing morphology parameters. However, the larvae’s choice of particular hosts corresponded to the results of the performance test. Larvae more willingly selected food allowing better results in their performance. Larvae achieved better values of growth and development when fed on European and North American pine species or on species with two- and three-needle fascicles. In addition, attractants and repellents in needles of different pine species were chemically analyzed. Variations in the secondary metabolite composition as well as the specific leaf area of different pine species effectively explained the results found in the insects, but the content of sugars and nitrogen remains to be elucidated. We speculate that DP poses a serious threat to large areas of pine forests, if transferred, as it can survive and develop on many economically important tree species in North America and Europe.

Descripción de un periodo del ciclo de vida de Alabama argillacea (Erebidae: Lepidóptera)

“…Se cree que la baja tasa de supervivencia de las larvas de A. argillacea se debe a la diferencia en la calidad de las plantas huésped, lo cual se ha identificado que es un factor que incide directamente en esta variable (Nascimento et al, 2011;Shin et al, 2021). También puede estar influenciado por otras características químicas de la planta como sucede para otras plagas, como el contenido de nitrógeno (Li et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2020, el agua y los carbohidratos (Lukowski et al, 2021;), así como las características físicas, como la dureza y la textura del parénquima foliar (Sara, 2021).…”

Suitability of Turkey Oak, European Beech, and Hornbeam to Gypsy Moth Feeding

“…Additionally, interaction of insects with plants is under the strong influence of abiotic factors [4][5][6]. Tree resistance to pests along with site (e.g., climatic conditions, soil type and moisture, altitude and latitude, slope of the land) and tree species characteristics (drought resistance, wood quality, biomass production or capacity for carbon sequestration) should be taken into consideration in the future forest strategy planning and predicting risks of defoliation by invasive pests [7,8]. Usually, forest practice put the priority on quality of wood production and neglects the tree resistance to pests.…”

Strong decrease in egg mass on subsequent days of oviposition generates little variation in offspring performance in the pine‐tree lappet moth, Dendrolimus pini

“…Finally, due to the females' large abdomen and body mass, these insects do not spread naturally over long distances (Ray et al, 2016). Oligophagous D. pini consumes mainly one plant species (Matek & Pernek, 2018; Łukowski et al, 2021); thus, theoretically, the intraspecific temporal and spatial variability in food quality should be of relatively little importance for the larvae. Although pine needles may differ in chemical composition (Oleksyn et al, 2002; Giertych et al, 2007), there are currently no data on the preferences of D. pini larvae in relation to a specific needle cohort.…”