Mountain Pine Bark Beetle Research Paper

The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, is a beetle that was first discovered in 2002 in the US near the Detroit area and southeastern portions of Michigan. This beetle is believed to have originated in Asia. The theory is that they arrived in the states in packing material made of wood on cargo ships traveling on the St. Lawrence River, which then leads into the Great Lakes. Since 2002, this beetle has made its way into parts of Canada and now in at least eighteen states in the US (Emerald, n.d.). They are causing major destruction of Ash trees in all of these areas, and Vermont is starting to take precautions to be prepared if and when these beetles show up in The Green Mountain

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) most likely came to the United States through solid wood shipments from Asia, and has established its habitat in 25 states - including Georgia - and two Canadian provinces. The female lays eggs and the cream-colored larvae chew tunnels through the wood. The adults are shiny green beetles about a half inch in length and burrow through the wood. Symptoms of EAB infestation in a tree include vertical

In June of 2011, the Asian Longhorned Beetle was found in Clermont County, about 30 minutes from where I live now. Clermont County is home to East Fork State Park, a 4,870 acre state park which is comprised of about 50% woodland. The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) is an invasive insect in Ohio that will host in about 10 different types of trees. This is an important topic to me because this invasive insect is not only single-handedly taking down forests in Ohio, but the introduction of an invasive species also disrupts the soil, air, and water quality. I chose this topic because more people need to be aware of the little things they are doing that can affect the environment. By moving firewood, different types of lumber, or nursery stock to a location that is not affected by the ALB will just make matters worse.

Yet, water limitations are reducing the capacity of black spruce. With a decrease of the Black Spruce species within this ecosystem, there will be inevitably less trees to fix carbon. With the inability for a biological system to convert carbon dioxide to organic compound, this leaves CO2 within the atmosphere, increasing the Greenhouse house gas effect and thus surface temperatures. Additionally, supporting the fact that future warming may result in drought stress, further prohibiting the growth of the Black Spruce species. This affect is bound to trigger a compositional change, consequently impacting the whole ecosystem. This should not be considered unanticipated information, seeing as there is a direct relationship between vegetation and climate change in boreal ecosystems. Warm climates may not be suitable for all species within that habitat, so species will naturally migrate as the temperature increases. Forest fires alone can have long-lasting effects on the environment, in terms of community succession, which has been briefly

The Dendroctonus ponderosae (Mountain Pine Beetle) is estimated to have killed 46 million acres of trees from 2000 to 2012 - an area nearly the size of the state of Colorado, as stated in an article released by the Union of Concerned Scientists. In response to this epidemic, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that “as many as 100,000 beetle-killed trees fall to the ground every day in Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado alone”. The results of the early 2000’s outbreak clearly reflect the devastation, but the reasons behind the infestation are not as defined. It 's commonly believed that the cause of the Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak was warmer temperatures that decreased winter larvae

Forests are carbon sinks, they absorb carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in plant biomass and soils belowground. When the trees die, they stop absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, and as they decompose, they release some of the stored carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere (Suzuki & Moola, 2008). The mountain pine beetle (Aendroctonus ponderosae) is a primary agent of forest disturbance, a higher number of outbreaks occur due to favorable forest age and climate patterns (Progar et al., 2014). The mountain pine beetle (MPB) starts its attack when the female finds a pine tree (usually lodgepole) that is at least 80 years old. Upon finding the tree the female bores into it, while releasing a pheromone that attracts the male beetles. When the males arrive they, also release more pheromones to attract more females. The tree tries to defend its self by secreting a toxic resin. But the beetles carry spores of a blue-stain fungus in their mouths which they release as they bore into the tree, the fungus prevents the tree from transporting nutrients and water. The beetles lay eggs under the tree’s bark, and when the larvae hatch, they feed on the blue fungus until they are mature enough to leave the now dead tree (Aukema et al., 2006).

Mountain-pine beetles have drastically changed the environment they are living in; due to this, areas such as industry, recreation, and the ecosystem have been impacted. For the last few decades the mountain- pine beetle has become a huge problem in the Rocky Mountains, stretching all the way from New Mexico all the way to central Canada. More than 60 million acres of forest have been infected, which has resulted in about 60% of the mature pines across North America to be killed (Rosner, 2013). Every day hundreds of trees are felled in an effort to clear out the beetles and to rid the forest of the unsightly dead trees. Entire forests have been reduced into nothing more than standing grave yards that mark a once great ecosystem. Forest Service officials are struggling to come up with a solution to this epidemic but find their options limited due to legal framework, public opinion, and just options in general.

The authors in this article explored the following questions: Firstly, if the constant reproduction of pine beetles in whitebark pine in high elevation is a consequence of their eruption in lodgepole pine or it represent some initial changes in the system due to changes in temperature. Secondly, with changing climatic conditions how insects determine their choices of host plant species. Thirdly, what is the reaction of other natural enemies to pine beetles attack to whitebark versus lodgepole pine? They tested the hypothesis if the mountain pine beetles attack lower defensive host like whitebark pine while expanding their range to high elevations due to increasing high temperatures. Previous research suggests that either whitebark pine should

Is it right to stop nature from taking course just because we don’t like what it is doing? Mountain- pine beetles are native to the forests of North America. They are in their natural environment and are just doing what they do best. What right to we human have of killing them off or blocking them from food sources just because we don’t like what they are doing to out scenery? Because for many people that it was it comes down to, not what is happening ecosystem, not whether or not he epidemic is natural, but how it is affecting their once perfect view. All things considered the epidemic did bring some small benefits the ecosystems it hit, by clearing out old, weak tree, and allowing younger, and stronger ones to take their place, the ecosystem

The Asian longhorned beetle has a major impact on our tree’s. The beetle has the potential to destroy the lumber and maple syrup industry. If maple trees get infected, they will all die and we will no longer collect sap from them. The Asian longhorned beetles make holes in trees one and a half to two centimeters in diameter. Some host trees for the Asian longhorned beetle include Elm trees, Willow trees, Maple trees, and Birch trees. Since the Asian longhorned beetle does not feed on animals, tree’s are the only victim. If the Asian longhorned beetle kill out all the maple tree’s, our $100 million maple syrup industry will be gone. The impacts of the Asian longhorned beetle are very serious, but we can

The world is a tough place to survive. If the creatures living on this massive planet cannot adapt in order to survive, extinction will eventually win out. There have been five mass extinctions, and many minor ones, throughout the history of the world. Of course, not all extinctions can be controlled, such as natural disaster and over hunting. However many extinctions, such as no defense against predation, lack of water conservation, no control of osmoregularity, and the inability to adapt to a new environment, can be avoided through natural selection. There is one creature in particular that has mastered the art of surviving against predation:

The bombardiers beetle is a small insect that uses a unique form self-defense involving chemical reactions. The beginning of this reaction is in the secretory lobes which produce a highly concentrated mixture of hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone that is sent to the collecting vesicle. Now, the reaction between hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone goes like this: the hydrogen peroxide decomposed into water and oxygen; when the oxygen mixes with hydroquinone it produces more water and quinone, a chemical that generates heat up to boiling. Quinone is the goal of the entire chemical reaction, for quinone is the chemical used by the beetle when threatened. However, this possess is not instant and develops over a significant amount of time. This is

In 1993 Volkswagen had record low sales but by the end of 1997 the VW brand had sold 137,885 cars. That was an increase of 178% from it’s 1993 slump. It is safe to say that the the ’94 relaunch of VW on the American Market was a success. The “Drivers Wanted” campaign, developed by Arnold Communications, I believe was successful as a result of excellent market research and positioning.

The future is seeming bright for my general population of animals. Sauron ate for me while I was watching for the first time today. He had eaten three whole annulipes- a ravenous appetite for a guy with such a tiny face. I even had the opportunity to hold him a while, while he ate his second pincher bug on my thumb. He handles pretty well for a ground skink. Even the wolf spiders, notorious for having bad temperaments, decided to be on their best behavior for me (Colette especially). Now that I have only one spider- Roman died- it'll be easier to handle her on a daily basis.

Pinewood nematode is transmitted from tree to tree by pine sawyer beetles which overwinter as larvae in dead pines or pine logs which still have the bark attached. After pupating, the adult pine sawyer beetles, carrying nematodes in their tracheae, fly to healthy host pine trees where the nematodes enter through feeding wounds. Pinewood nematodes migrate to resin canals where they feed and rapidly reproduce. The resin canal system is damaged and water movement in the tree is disrupted. Once the pine tree dies the nematodes continue to feed and reproduce on blue stain fungus which infects the tree. In summer, female pine sawyer beetles carry nematodes as they fly back to dead pine wood where they lay their eggs. Eggs