危害松树的小蠹虫与其伴生菌的相互关系

危害健康松属植物的小蠹虫经常与一些特殊的真菌相联系。在小蠹虫危害松属植物的过程中,这些真菌被小蠹虫的一些特殊结构或者体表携带到松属植物上。小蠹虫与其伴生菌的联系表明小蠹虫和其伴生菌之间是一种互惠互利的关系。伴生菌随小蠹虫扩散而被带到新的寄主树木。而伴生菌或作为小蠹虫的食物来源,但更重要的是,有些伴生菌能够通过其菌丝渗透寄主组织,释放毒素,致死寄主树木,以帮助小蠹虫降低寄主抗性。许多研究致力于探索小蠹虫/伴生菌联合体与寄主树木之间关系的特征和确定小蠹虫与其伴生菌相互关系在生态学上的意义。然而,不同小蠹虫和其伴生菌所组成的共生体系,不同小蠹虫的种群数量,和不同环境条件下同种小蠹虫与其伴生菌相互作用方式的差异使我们在研究小蠹虫和其伴生菌这个共生体系时,对它们各自在成功聚集寄主树木过程中所发挥的重要作用的概括变得非常困难。     

Genetic relationships among Leptographium terebrantis and the mycangial fungi of three western Dendroctonus bark beetles

Morphology, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction fragment polymorphisms (RFLPs) and nuclear DNA (nDNA) fingerprinting were used to clarify relationships among the morphologically similar Ophiostoma and Leptographium species associated with mycangia of three Dendroctonus bark beetles (Ophiostoma clavigerum associated with both D. ponderosae and D. jeffreyi, and L. pyrinum associated with D. adjunctus), as well as a closely related nonmycangial bark beetle associate (L. terebrantis). Most isolates of O. clavigerum form long (40-70 μm), septate conidia, while all isolates of L. terebrantis and L. pyrinum form conidia less than 17.0 μm in length. The conidia of L. pyrinum are pyriform, with truncate bases, while the conidia of the other species form only slightly truncate bases. Conidial masses of L. terebrantis are creamy yellow, while the conidial masses of the other species are white. Nuclear DNA fingerprints resulting from probing PstI restrictions with the oligonucleotide probe (CAC)(5) and HaeIII and MspI restrictions of mtDNA, exhibited three major clusters. In the dendrogram developed from mtDNA RFLPs, the L. pyrinum isolates formed one cluster, while the majority of O. clavigerum isolates, including all D. jeffreyi isolates, formed another. A third cluster was composed of all L. terebrantis isolates, as well as several O. clavigerum isolates from D. ponderosae. The inclusion of some O. clavigerum isolates in the L. terebrantis cluster suggests that horizontal transfer of mtDNA has occurred among these fungi. The nDNA dendrogram also exhibited three clusters, and most isolates of L. pyrinum, L. terebrantis and O. clavigerum grouped separately; however, one isolate of O. clavigerum grouped with the L. terebrantis isolates, while one isolate of L. terebrantis grouped with O. clavigerum. No genetic markers were found that distinguished between O. clavigerum associated with D. ponderosae and O. clavigerum associated with D. jeffreyi. Ophiostoma clavigerum might be a recently diverged morphological variant of L. terebrantis, with special adaptations for grazing by young adults of D. jeffreyi and D. ponderosae. The anamorph of O. clavigerum, Graphiocladiella clavigerum, is transferred to Leptographium.     

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with bark beetles

Nitrogen-fixingEnterobacter agglomerans andEnterobacter spp. were consistently isolated from the bark beetleDendroctonus terebrans. Large populations of nitrogen-fixing bacteria were found with the beetle, although no in situ acetylene reduction was demonstrated. The constant occurrence of nitrogenfixing bacteria withD. terebrans suggests a symbiotic relationship. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria were also isolated from the bark beetlesDendroctonus frontalis andIps avulsus.Mention of trade names is not an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.     

Interactions among xerophilic fungi associated with dried salted fish

Interactions were investigated among five xerophilic fungi, Polypaecilum pisce, Basipetospora halophila, Eurotium rubrum, Aspergillus wentii and A. penicillioides, isolated from Indonesian dried salted fish. A range of water activities ( a _w) (0·98, 0·95, 0·90 and 0·84) and temperatures (15°, 25° and 30°C) were studied on agar media in Petri dishes, and with dried fish as a substrate at 0·90 and 0·84 a _w at 30°C. Generally, the fungi exhibited one of two interaction types: mutual inhibition on contact, or inhibition of one or both species on contact, with the inhibited species continuing to grow at a significantly reduced rate. On glucose-based agar media A. wentii and E. rubrum were most competitive at all a _w values and temperatures studied, while on NaCl media P. pisce and B. halophila were usually most competitive. The Petri dish system was a useful model, but did not completely simulate the interactions observed on dried fish. Polypaecilum pisce and B. halophila were able to compete more strongly on fish than on agar media, especially at 0·90 a _w. This study provides some evidence that each species examined had a niche in which it was dominant, and that species interactions as well as environmental factors are important in determining the dominant fungal species on dried salted fish.     

Ophiostomatoid fungi isolated from Japanese red pine and their relationships with bark beetles

We isolated ophiostomatoid fungi from bark beetles infesting Pinus densiflora and their galleries at 24 sites in Japan. Twenty-one ophiostomatoid fungi, including species of Ophiostoma, Grosmannia, Ceratocystiopsis, Leptographium, and Pesotum, were identified. Among these, 11 species were either newly recorded in Japan or were previously undescribed species. Some of these fungal species were isolated from several bark beetles, but other species were isolated from only a particular beetle species. Thus, it is suggested that some ophiostomatoid fungi have specific relationships with particular beetle species. In addition, fungus-beetle biplots from redundancy analysis (RDA) summarizing the effects of beetle ecological characteristics suggested that the association patterns between bark beetles and the associated fungi seemed to be related to the niches occupied by the beetles.     

Monitoring of beetles associated with fungi using Kaila traps

In the present work, we tested the possibilities of using modified window-flight Kaila traps for studying insects associated with fungi. Criteria allowing us to reveal the character of association between an insect and fungus have been developed. We analyzed the association between Staphylinidae and a species of polypore fungi. We assessed the suitability of Kaila traps for studying beetles associated with fungi, as well as their selectivity; we give recommendations on their use.     

Mutual interactions between an invasive bark beetle and its associated fungi

Interactions between invasive insects and their fungal associates have important effects on the behavior, reproductive success, population dynamics and evolution of the organisms involved. The red turpentine beetle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), an invasive forest pest in China, is closely associated with fungi. By carrying fungi on specialized structures in the exoskeleton, RTB inoculates fungi in the phloem of pines (when females dig galleries for egg laying and when males join them for mating). After eggs hatch, larvae gregariously feed on the phloem colonized by the fungi. We examined the effects of five isolates of RTB associated fungi (two from North America, Leptographium terebrantis and L. procerum, and three from China, Ophiostoma minus, L. sinoprocerum and L. procerum) on larval feeding activity, development and mortality. We also studied the effects of volatile chemicals produced in the beetle hindgut on fungal growth. Ophiostoma minus impaired feeding activity and reduced weight in RTB larvae. Leptographium sinoprocerum, L. terebrantis and L. procerum did not dramatically influence larval feeding and development compared to fungi-free controls. Larval mortality was not influenced by any of the tested fungi. Hindgut volatiles of RTB larvae, verbenol, myrtenol and myrtenal, inhibited growth rate of all the fungi. Our results not only show that D. valens associated fungus, O. minus, can be detrimental to its larvae; but, most importantly, they also show that these notorious beetles have an outstanding adaptive response evidenced by the ability to produce volatiles that inhibit growth of harmful fungus.