Bark Beetles Utilize Ophiostomatoid Fungi to Circumvent Host Tree Defenses.

ABSTRACT: Bark beetles maintain symbiotic associations with a diversity of microbial organisms, including ophiostomatoid fungi. Studies have frequently reported the role of ophiostomatoid fungi in bark beetle biology, but how fungal symbionts interact with host chemical defenses over time is needed. We first investigated how inoculations by three fungal symbionts of mountain pine beetle affect the terpene chemistry of live lodgepole pine trees. We then conducted a complimentary laboratory experiment specifically measuring the host metabolite degradation by fungi and collected the fungal organic volatiles following inoculations with the same fungal species on lodgepole pine logs. In both experiments, we analyzed the infected tissues for their terpene chemistry. Additionally, we conducted an olfactome

SUBMITTER: Zaman R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9968207 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature