Deme formation in scale insects: a test with the pinyon needle scale and a review of other evidence

ABSTRACT. 1. Deme formation is the transformation of a generalist population into one which is adapted to its local conditions. This adaptation has been inferred from many things but should be inferred from higher survival or fecundity of scale insects on their natal tree compared to that of immigrant scales on the same tree.
2. Transfers of the scale insect Matsucoccus acalyptus Herbert within and between infested host trees ( Pinus monophylla (Torr. & Frem.) resulted in significant differences in scale survivorship among recipient trees. Survival on individual trees was correlated across years, indicating stable differences in tree susceptibility to scale.
3. A significant natal tree colonized tree interaction was observed for late stage scale survival in one experiment but the interaction was not caused by superior survivorship of scales transferred back to the natal tree. Hence, we found no evidence of deme formation in M.acalyptus.
4. Previous studies have concluded that deme formation occurs in the black pineleaf scale based on a significant natal tree by colonized tree interaction in scale survival. We question this conclusion because the experimental design employed did not include transfers back onto the natal tree. Other indirect evidence for deme formation in scale insects is critically discussed.     

Interactions between hosts and non-hosts of Pinus spp. and Matsucoccus josephi: anatomical responses of stem to infestation

Artificial infestation of seven pine species revealed that Matsucoccus josephi (Homoptera: Margarodidae) completes its development on Pinus brutia , P. eldarica and P. halepersis , whereas only a small number of the scale larvae infesting P. cunariensis and P. pined reached the second instar and none developed to the adult stage. M. josephi crawlers died while trying to feed on P. radiata and P. pinaster. Histological examination of the infested plant sections indicated that necrosis in shoot and stem barks of P. eldarica and P. halepensis occurs just before or after the scale completes its development. Injury reached the cambium, and traumatic resin ducts; parenchyma cells instead of tracheids and curved tracheids were formed. In P. brutia wound periderm was observed in the stem section but not in the shoot cortex following scale development. Wound periderm was also formed in the stem cortex of P. canariensis and P. pinena whereas no pathological changes were detected in the infested cortex of P. pinaster and P. radiata.
Mechanical lesions caused by needle punctures resulted in the production of parenchyma cells instead of tracheids in all four pine species investigated. The response of the pine cortex was non-specific; however several similarities in the response to scale infestation, such as the formation of resin ducts, were observed. We hypothesize that the response of the pine tissue to the scale saliva is a hypersensitive reaction. It is suggested that the development of Matsucoccus species on particular pine species is related to the scale's inability to trigger the defence system of the host while the larvae are feeding.     

Cell hypertrophy in stems ofPinus halepensis infested byMatsucoccus josephi

Summary Structural and ultrastructural changes occurring in the living cells of young plants ofPinus halepensis Mill. artificially infected withMatsucoccus josephi Bodenheimer et Harpaz, were studied. The study revealed that, opposite the places of attachment of the insects to the stem, groups of enlarged cells occurred in the cortex and often also in the phloem and cambial zones. In the enlarged cortical parenchyma cells there was a pronounced increase in the volume of the cytoplasm. The nuclei were large and lobed. The ER appeared in two forms, in very long cisternae arranged in parallel, and in short variously oriented tubules. The plastids were without grana, contained a tubular network and many plastoglobuli. Mitochondria and dictyosomes were relatively numerous. The function of the hypertrophic cells is discussed.     

气候变化对中国东北地区日本松干蚧传播扩散的影响

基于气候资料和日本松干蚧传播资料,根据传播扩散范围及入侵地的气候特征,分析了日本松干蚧主要影响因子的年代变化对日本松干蚧在东北地区扩散的影响。结果表明:东北地区最冷月各旬及月平均最低气温总的呈升高趋势(r=0.86,P0.05),冬季极端最低气温也有缓慢上升趋势(r=0.93,P0.01),其年代间的冷暖变化与日本松干蚧在东北地区扩散有明显的相关性。1月平均最低气温和冬季极端最低气温明显升高的20世纪70年代和90年代,日本松干蚧快速扩散、危害地虫口密度大、危害程度重。日本松干蚧大范围扩散和爆发都发生在1月份最低气温较高的年份。1月最低气温和冬季极端最低气温升高是日本松干蚧在东北地区传播扩散的重要因素。复苏后的降水量、卵孵化期的空气相对湿度和夏季最高气温的年代变化对日本松干蚧扩散的影响不显著。     

Changes in Amino Acid Composition during Germination of Soybean

Malonogalactan, a malonylated polysaccharide (—74° (c=1.6, H₂O)) produced by Penicillium citrinum, consisted of d-galactose and malonic acid in the approximate molar ratio of 3:1. Molecular weight of the demalonylated galactan (-99° (c=4.6, H₂O)) was about 40,000. From the data regarding optical rotation, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum, infrared spectrum, glycosidase susceptibility, periodate oxidation, Smith degradation, methylation and acid hydrolysis, the possible structure of the Penicillium malonogalactan is deduced as follows: A galactan, 1,5-β-galactofuranoside polymer esterified with malonic acid at the position of 2 or 3.     

Relative Importance of Environmental Stress and Herbivory in Reducing Litter Fall in a Semiarid Woodland

We examined the impact of soil stress (low water and nutrient availabilities) and two keystone insect herbivores on pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) needle litterfall. We compared trees growing on two distinct soil types: volcanic cinders, which exhibit pronounced water and nutrient limitation, and sandy-loam soils, which have higher water-storage capacity and nutrient availability. Using two long-term herbivore removal experiments (15 and 18 years, respectively), we also examined the effects of the pinyon needle scale (Matsucoccus acalyptus, which attacks juvenile trees) and the stem-boring moth (Dioryctria albovittella, which attacks mature trees) on pinyon litterfall. These herbivores reach high densities on cinder soils but are absent or occur at much lower levels on sandy-loam soils. Four years of litterfall measurements showed four major patterns. First, independent of herbivory, needle litterfall was 20% lower under trees on high-stress cinder soils than on sandy-loam soils. Second, in agreement with the negative impact of scales on tree growth (that is, a 30% decline in stem growth), trees with scale infestations had 25% lower litterfall rates than trees resistant to scale; however, 15 years of scale-insect removal did not significantly increase needle litterfall. This implies possible intrinsic differences in litter production between scale-resistant and scale-susceptible trees. Third, in contrast with significant negative effects of moth herbivory on tree growth (that is, a 27% decline in stem growth), moth herbivory had no effect on needle litterfall. This, along with increased stem density in moth-susceptible trees, may be evidence of compensatory production. Fourth, there were strong year by soil type and year by scale herbivory interactions, such that in some years the effect on litterfall can be obscured or reversed by some other factor. In summary, soil stress has a strong and predictable effect on needle litterfall, whereas the relationship between insect herbivory and needle litterfall is weaker and depends on the individual herbivore. These effects, however, are mediated by other environmental factors that have considerable annual variation.     

Characterization of eight new microsatellite loci in the invading maritime pine bast scale Matsucoccus feytaudi (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Margarodidae)

The bast scale Matsucoccus feytaudi is a specific pest of maritime pine that is endemic in the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern France, and invasive in southeastern France, Italy and Corsica where it causes heavy damages. We developed eight microsatellite polymorphic markers using an enrichment protocol in order to study the invasion pathways and infer the genetic diversity of the populations. All loci could be successfully amplified with no evidence of null alleles. Cross‐species amplifications failed to amplify the congeneric Matsucoccus josephi.     

贵州首次发现的日本松干蚧生物学特性研究

日本松干蚧Matsucoccus matsumurae(Kuwana.)于2014年在贵州省遵义市汇川区及绥阳县首次发现,目前已导致330 ha的马尾松Pinus massoniana死亡.因该虫隐蔽性强,危害症状极易与真菌病害混淆,防治难度极大.为科学制定防控方法,从2019年4月至2021年4月,开展了日本松干蚧每个虫态的形态特征及其生物学特性研究.结果表明:贵州省发现的松干蚧为日本松干蚧,其一年发生2代,以第2代1龄若虫越冬,并以有性生殖繁衍后代,未见孤雌生殖现象,且春秋两季主要依靠风力进行自然传播,具有传播速度快、致死率高等特点.日本松干蚧系首次传入贵州并进入到北纬27°范围,加之黔中及黔北区域又是马尾松的集中分布区,须加强该区域监测预警工作,特别是加强对针叶枯黄、主梢和枝弯曲的马尾松进行识别和鉴定,适时进行卫生伐,除治濒死木,切断传播途径,做好精准防控.     

Phylogeography of maritime pine inferred with organelle markers having contrasted inheritance

Range-wide variation of maritime pine was studied at maternally inherited and paternally inherited markers (mitochondrial DNA and chloroplast DNA). While chloroplast DNA exhibits the highest diversity, phylogeographic inferences from this marker are blurred by homoplasy and extensive pollen flow. In contrast, the only three mitochondrial haplotypes found provide a clear picture of nonoverlapping areas colonized from different refugia, with no single population having a mixed composition (GST = 1). Comparison of the genetic structure inferred from both organelle genomes allows the investigation of differential seed and pollen dispersal, pointing to pollen, but not seed, dispersal across the Strait of Gibraltar (from Morocco into Iberia). A comparison with already available genetic information, especially that of one of the maritime pine's most threatening insect pests, the bast scale Matsucoccus feytaudi, further completes the picture.     

Herbivore deme formation on individual trees: a test case

We examined the deme-formation hypothesis, which states that sessile herbivores on long-lived hosts become locally adapted to the defensive phenotypes of individual trees. We showed a five-fold increase in resistance by individual pinyon pines (Pinus edulis) to the pinyon pine needle scale (Matsucoccus acalyptus). Although such variation could represent a significant selection pressure favoring deme formation, two lines of evidence led to rejection of the hypothesis. First, there were no significant differences in mortality among scale populations in a reciprocal transfer experiment. Second, a seven-year experiment showed that mortality of newly founded, incipient scale populations was similar to established scale populations. While our experiments fail to support the deme-formation hypothesis, they do demonstrate significant variation in the resistance traits of a natural tree population. Although we feel that demeformation is still probable in this system, it is likely to occur on a larger geographic scale than individual trees as proposed by Edmunds and Alstad.