As global climate patterns continue to change and extreme weather events become increasingly common, it is likely that many ecological interactions will be affected. One such interaction is the multipartite symbiosis that exists between the mountain pine beetle and two species of fungi, Grosmannia clavigera and Ophiostoma montium. In this mutualism, the fungi provide nutrition to the beetle, wh...

An environmentally compatible method for controlling sapstain fungi in wood was evaluated, using a combination of chitosan and an albino strain Trichoderma harzianum, biological control agent (BCA). The growth penetration into the Ophiostoma piceae, Leptographium procerum, Sphaeropsis sapinea were assessed radiata pine wafers treated with BCA, both alone combination. Several mycological microsc...

In some ascomycete fungi, ribosomal protein S3 (Rps3) is encoded within a group I intron (mL2449) that is inserted in the U11 region of the mitochondrial large subunit rDNA (rnl) gene. Previous characterization of the mL2449 intron in strains of Ophiostoma novo-ulmi subspecies americana (Dutch Elm Disease) revealed a complex genes-within-genes arrangement whereby a LAGLIDADG homing endonuclease...

J. Entomol. Sci. 46(2): 124-134 (April2011) Abstract A commercially available chitosan product, BeyondTM, was evaluated for its effects on loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., responses believed related to bark beetle resistance. Treatments were applied 4 times at approx. 6-wk intervals between May and November 2008. Five treatments were evaluated: ground application (soil drench), foliar application...

Oak wilt infection centers are initiated by overland spread of the causal fungus, Ceratocystis fagacearum (T. W. Bretz) J. Hunt, by insects (10). Sap-feeding beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) are considered a primary vector of the pathogen in the north central states (7,9). Successful transmission by sap-feeding beetles depends on several coexisting conditions, including (i) the availability of...