Ecology and management of emerging forest pest complexes

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Bark beetles are some of the most important pests of temperate forests. As the mountain pine beetle (MPB) has spread from British Columbia into Alberta, there is possibility that it will invade to the jack pine (JP) forest in western Canada. The probability of this invasion has increased as global climate changes is expected to promote warmer winter temperatures in northerly latitudes and higher elevations. If MPB successfully invades and survives in JP forest, it may spread across Canada and cause serious ecological and economical problems throughout the boreal forests. As a Canada Research Chair in Forest Entomology, in my research program, I will use MPB as a model system to study an insect invasion into a new ecosystem. Such investigations are timely because potential MPB invasion of JP forest could provide many new insights about insect invasion into a new habitat and host. The fundamental difference between the historical habitat of MPB and JP system is the presence of a serious defoliator, jack pine budworm (JPB), Choristoneura pinus pinus (Lep: Tortricidae), and absence of outbreak species of bark beetles in the JP system. In the proposed project, my students and I will evaluate several aspects of JP-MPB-JPB interactions. We will focus on the interactions between fungi associated with MPB and JP because fungi are important on MPB survival and establishment. We will also investigate interactions between MPB and JPB because both species will likely to interact on the same tree, although MPB will occur on stem and JPB will occur on foliage. Plant chemical defenses will be evaluated as possible mechanisms that influence the outcome of MPB-JP-JPB interactions because chemical defenses are important mechanisms for conifers against herbivores and fungi. Developing deeper understandings of how MPB invasion would affect the JP forest system will be important contribution of this project. Such understanding is important to elucidate the general structure and behavior of the JP system against MPB and will be critical for the development of the integrated pest management of MPB in the JP forest.