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Chemically-mediated colonization of black cherry by the peach bark beetle, Phloeotribus liminaris

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Abstract

The peach bark beetle (Phloeotribus liminaris Harris, PBB) affects the health, quality, and value of black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) within the Central Hardwoods Forest Region of North America. When colonized by adult beetles, black cherry trees produce a defensive exudate, or ‘gum’, staining the wood and decreasing its value up to 90%. Current management tactics are inadequate to avoid extensive damage to most veneer-sized black cherry in the region. We test the hypothesis that PBB colonization behavior is chemically-mediated and determine the extent to which PBB is attracted to compounds associated with wounded or PBB-infested cherry wood. Through olfactometer and field bioassays, we determined that adult PBB were attracted to cherry branches infested with female beetles. We then used dynamic headspace sampling to collect volatiles associated with wounded and infested bolts of black cherry. The volatile benzaldehyde dominated these collections and was more abundant in aerations of female-infested bolts than other odor sources. In subsequent field bioassays, we evaluated the bioactivity of benzaldehyde, as well as α-longipinene, in combination with several chemical carriers. Traps baited with benzaldehyde captured more PBB than all other treatments, irrespective of other lure components. Moreover, PBB were not attracted to traps baited solely with ethanol, a common attractant for bark beetles that colonize hardwood trees. This is the first report of benzaldehyde as an attractant for a species of bark beetle and could aid in developing semiochemical-based management tactics for this important pest.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Hannah Quellhorst and Bridget Blood for their technical assistance in field and laboratory experiments. A portion of this research contributed towards a M.S. degree for Nicole VanDerLaan and Ph.D. for Matthew Ethington.

Funding

This research was funded by the Fred M. Van Eck Forestry Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Matthew W. Ethington, Gabriel P. Hughes & Matthew D. Ginzel

  2. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Nicole R. VanDerLaan

  3. Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Matthew D. Ginzel

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  1. Matthew W. Ethington
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  2. Gabriel P. Hughes
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  4. Matthew D. Ginzel
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Contributions

Matthew W. Ethington: Conceived and designed the research, conducted lab and field experiments, statistically analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. Gabriel P. Hughes: Codesigned research and conducted lab and field experiments. Nikki Van Der Laan: Codesigned research and conducted lab and field experiments. Matthew D. Ginzel: Codesigned research and helped write the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew D. Ginzel.

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All the procedures performed in studies involving insects were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or vertebrate animals performed by any of the authors.

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Ethington, M.W., Hughes, G.P., VanDerLaan, N.R. et al. Chemically-mediated colonization of black cherry by the peach bark beetle, Phloeotribus liminaris. J Chem Ecol 47, 303–312 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-021-01256-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-021-01256-z

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