Endemic Jeffrey Pine Beetle Associates: Beetle/Mite Fungal Dissemination Strategies and Interactions That May Influence Beetle Population Levels.

ABSTRACT: Fungal and mite associates may drive changes in bark beetle populations, and mechanisms constraining beetle irruptions may be hidden in endemic populations. We characterized common fungi of endemic-level Jeffrey pine beetle (JPB) in western USA and analyzed their dissemination by JPB (maxillae and fecal pellet) and fungivorous mites to identify if endogenous regulation drove the population. We hypothesized that: (1) as in near-endemic mountain pine beetle populations, JPB's mutualistic fungus would either be less abundant in endemic than in non-endemic populations or that another fungus may be more prevalent; (2) JPB primarily transports its mutualistic fungus, while its fungivorous mites primarily transport another fungus, and (3) based on the prevalence of yeasts in bark beetle symbioses

SUBMITTER: Mercado JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8399797 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature