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ViewAttendees 6

Member Symposium

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Model Behavior: Consequences of Insect Behavior on Phenological and Ecological Modeling

Fungal foes or friends? Understanding the relationship between apple trees, ambrosia beetles, and associated fungi

Sunday, November 5, 2023
11:40 AM – 11:55 AM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland A
In-Person
Ambrosia beetles propagate specialized symbiotic fungi on which they and their offspring feed upon within their galleries. Xyleborine ambrosia beetles infest physiologically stressed trees and have been associated with decline and dieback in commercial tree production systems in the USA. In this study, 1229 isolates from beetle galleries in ethanol-drenched potted apple trees deployed in orchards, 335 isolates from 153 Xyleborine ambrosia beetles trapped in orchards, and 470 isolates from non-attacked, non-declining apple trees in commercial orchards were collected and identified using internal transcribed spacer sequences and selected isolates resolved using additional loci. Of the 31 genera isolated from galleries, 48 genera isolated from trapped beetles, and 23 genera isolated from non-attacked apple trees, Fusarium, Alternaria, and Trichoderma spp. were commonly isolated across all sample types. The aggressiveness of selected isolates of Botryospaheria, Fusarium, and Ambrosiella were tested on detached apple shoots and potted apple seedlings. The most common isolates found across all samples were not highly aggressive and the most aggressive were rarely found or absent on trapped beetles. Finally, in vitro assays were conducted to assess the relative effect of ethanol on growth of selected isolates of Ambrosiella, Botryosphaeria, Fusarium, and Trichoderma. Isolates of Ambrosiella spp.was more tolerant to ethanol compared with the other isolates, but in confrontation assays, amending the media with ethanol did not provide a significant advantage to the Ambrosiella spp. isolates.