Abstract
AbstractEmerald ash borer,Agrilus planipennisFairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is an Asian species that was introduced into North America in the mid-1990s. The beetle has the potential to devastate populations ofFraxinusLinnaeus (Oleaceae) species. Several species of Hymenoptera parasitoids have made the transition from North AmericanAgrilusCurtis hosts toA. planipennis, and some (e.g.,AtanycolusFörster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) species) have caused substantial mortality. Invertebrate predators ofA. planipennishave been poorly investigated. Predation by woodpeckers (Aves: Picidae) has had the greatest impact onA. planipennispopulations. Native entomopathogens have also been observed in populations ofA. planipennisand are being explored as potential biological control agents.Agrilus planipennisis a freeze-intolerant species and as such perishes when its tissues freeze. However, the beetle can achieve a mean supercooling point of −30 °C by the production of cryoprotectants, especially glycerol. This low supercooling point in combination with temperatures higher than ambient in its overwintering microhabitat means that it can survive in most of its invaded range. As its distribution expands northward its cold hardiness may be challenged. North American species ofFraxinuspossess some resistance toA. planipennisvia defensive mechanisms, but these are quickly overcome by expanding larval populations. Intraspecific competition (via cannibalism and starvation) impacts larval survival.
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