Are Climates in Canada and the United States Suitable for the European Spruce Bark Beetle, Ips typographus, and Its Fungal Associate, Endoconidiophora polonica?

Kishan R Sambaraju,Chantal Côté

doi:10.3390/f12121725

Kishan R Sambaraju, Chantal Côté

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121725

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Journal: Forests	Publication Date: Dec 7, 2021
Citations: 1	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service

Abstract

Invasions of exotic forest insects and pathogens can devastate evolutionarily naïve habitats and could cause irreversible changes to urban and natural ecosystems. Given the ever-increasing volume of trade in wood and plant stock worldwide, establishment of non-native pests under climate change is one of the most important forest health concerns currently. The European spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, is a damaging, phloem-feeding insect of Norway spruce, Picea abies, in Eurasia. Endoconidiophora polonica is the most virulent ophiostomatoid fungal associate of I. typographus. Spruce species native to North America are susceptible to this insect-pathogen complex. We studied the suitability of ‘current’ (1970–2000) and future climates (2021–2100) in Canada and the United States for these two species via ensemble species distribution models. We also determined overlapping regions favorable to both I. typographus and E. polonica. Our results indicate that, currently, climate is particularly suitable for I. typographus and E. polonica in western Canada and throughout the United States. Northward shifts in climatic suitability are projected to occur in Canada for both species under climate change. By the end of the 21st century, a coast-to-coast corridor of climatic suitability for I. typographus and E. polonica will occur in Canada under high-temperature regimes.

Highlights

We sought to determine the suitability of climates of Canada and the United States for potential establishment of the European spruce bark beetle, I. typographus, and the associated virulent blue-stain fungus, E. polonica
Our results suggest that spruce habitats in western Canada, in disparate pockets in eastern Canada, and throughout the United
The boreal forest in central Canada will become suitable for both species by the end of the century, the extent of suitability will vary depending on the magnitude of warming

Summary

Introduction

Invasions of non-native forest pests are a growing concern to governments, forest managers, and individuals worldwide as they can cause widespread, and in some cases, uncontrollable ecological and economic impacts. Tree mortality resulting from exotic pest invasions disrupts interconnected ecological phenomena such as nutrient cycles, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, tree composition and age-class structure, and forest succession [1,2]. Interceptions of exotic forest insect and pathogen species have dramatically increased over the past several decades in North America, raising serious biosecurity concerns. Structural and wood packaging materials (such as crates and pallets) associated with imports of various goods and commodities and import of live plants are often associated with exotic forest insects and pathogens [3,4,5,6,7,8]. A similar comprehensive economic analysis encompassing major exotic forest pathogens in North

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