Abstract

The ambrosia beetle Platypus quercivorus uses fagaceous tree species as its hosts, and causes Japanese oak wilt by transporting and introducing the pathogenic fungus Raffaelea quercivora into the host tree. To protect fagaceous trees, it is necessary to understand the host selection process used by the beetle in heterogeneous forests. The occurrence of beetle attack on Quercus crispula and Castanea crenata was monitored from 2008 to 2011 in two 1-ha and one 0.5-ha plots established in a secondary forest. The stem and crown densities of each fagaceous tree species were calculated at 11 different spatial scales for each individual tree. Model application and selection were performed to clarify factors affecting the probability of attack by P. quercivorus. As shown in previous studies, a higher probability of attack was predicted for Q. crispula than for C. crenata, and the predicted probability of attack was lower for trees attacked in the previous year. The effect of stem density on the probability of attack was positive at a small (radius 5 m) spatial scale and negative at larger (radius 5–17.5 m) scales. We interpreted this to indicate that a dense distribution of fagaceous trees in a small area had a higher probability of attack, and that this probability decreased with an increasing density of fagaceous trees in a surrounding concentric area. A positive effect of crown density was detected, suggesting that P. quercivorus has a means of detecting host trees in areas with high crown densities of fagaceous species.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call