biostudies-literatureUnknown7(1)Chiu CCThe mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) is an eruptive bark beetle species affecting pine forests of western North America. MPB are exposed to volatile monoterpenes, which are important host defense chemicals. We assessed the toxicity of the ten most abundant monoterpenes of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), a major host in the current MPB epidemic, against adult MPB from two locations in British Columbia, Canada. Monoterpenes were tested as individual volatiles and included (-)-β-phellandrene, (+)-3-carene, myrcene, terpinolene, and both enantiomers of α-pinene, β-pinene and limonene. Dose-mortality experiments identified (-)-limonene as the most toxic (LC₅₀: 32 μL/L), and (-)-α-pinene (LC₅₀: 290 μL/L) and terpinolene (LC₅₀: >500 μL/L) as thScientific reports8858https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5562797biostudies-literatureToxicity of Pine Monoterpenes to Mountain Pine Beetle.PMC5562797Keeling CIChiu CCBohlmann JfalseToxicity of Pine Monoterpenes to Mountain Pine Beetle.The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) is an eruptive bark beetle species affecting pine forests of western North America. MPB are exposed to volatile monoterpenes, which are important host defense chemicals. We assessed the toxicity of the ten most abundant monoterpenes of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), a major host in the current MPB epidemic, against adult MPB from two locations in British Columbia, Canada. Monoterpenes were tested as individual volatiles and included (-)-β-phellandrene, (+)-3-carene, myrcene, terpinolene, and both enantiomers of α-pinene, β-pinene and limonene. Dose-mortality experiments identified (-)-limonene as the most toxic (LC₅₀: 32 μL/L), and (-)-α-pinene (LC₅₀: 290 μL/L) and terpinolene (LC₅₀: >500 μL/L) as th2017-01-01T00:00:00Z2017 Aug2025-04-18T14:31:34.88Z2019-03-27T02:53:56ZS-EPMC55627972882175610.1038/s41598-017-08983-y