No description available.

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis [L.] Carr.) is a foundation species that occupies a unique niche in forest ecosystems and which often forms pure stands throughout the eastern United States. Throughout the last half of a century, widespread mortality of T. canadensis had been occurring with the introduction of the invasive pest, hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) (HWA). HWA now threatens to destroy millions of hectares of hemlock dominated forests and to disrupt its associated ecosystems. In order to determine how HWA impacts hemlock physiology, three sites with various degrees of infestation were chosen and half of the trees at each site were treated with imidacloprid (Merit® 2 F, Bayer, Kansas City, MO) while the rest were left untreated. Needle gas exchange was assessed monthly using a LI-COR 6400 portable open path gas exchange system (LI-COR Inc, Lincoln NE). Chlorophyll fluorescence and bud break were also characterized for all trees at two of the three sites. After one complete growing season, we found a slight increase in photosynthetic rates (4.98 %), increased bud break at Fishburn (562 %) and Mountain Lake (25.6 %) sites, and no change in chlorophyll fluorescence for imidacloprid treated trees. These results suggest that HWA is causing tree mortality largely through a reduction of leaf area and not a reduction in leaf level photosynthetic capacity. By quantifying the physiological response of T. canadensis to HWA, better insights can be made into understanding tree decline as it relates to HWA. / Master of Science

No description available.

Approximately 5,000 years ago, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) experienced a sudden, rapid, range-wide decline most probably due to pest, disease, or climate change. An aphid-like defoliating insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), recently (1950’s) introduced to eastern North America has been spreading across the eastern United States. The adelgid attacks all size and age classes of hemlocks causing up to 95% mortality in affected stands. The potential for another range-wide hemlock decline has raised a number of concerns including the increased threat of wildfire. Altered fuel loadings in modern adelgid-affected stands and the effects of presumably similar changes in fuels and subsequently altered fire regimes following the prehistoric decline are examined. Fuels data from an adelgid-infested stand in Connecticut and an uninfested stand in Massachusetts were used to generate custom fuel models and predict fire behavior in each stand. Sediment cores were extracted from three sites in western Massachusetts and analyzed for fossil pollen and charcoal around the period of the prehistoric decline. Fossil data from two previously studied sediment cores from coastal Maine are included in the analysis. Results demonstrate a clear and highly significant increase in both fuel loadings and predicted fire behavior in the modern, adelgid-affected stand. Three of the coring sites reflect distinct, significant, short-lived increases in charcoal associated with the prehistoric decline; two do not. Results from the first three sites suggesting increased fire activity also were associated with changes in vegetation which indicate disturbance. Increased fire activity after the decline seems most pronounced in areas where fire was common before the decline. Results indicate that fire was not universally a significant factor driving post-decline succession. Research across a broader geographic area is needed to clarify the relationship between fire and hemlock following the mid-Holocene decline, but the results presented here suggest that managers of modern stands affected by the adelgid should include the possibility of intense fires as a threat to landscapes heavily affected by hemlock decline.

The pine bark adelgid, Pineus strobi (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) is a native herbivore of eastern white pine, Pinus strobus (Pinales: Pinaceae), in eastern North America. It is a sessile insect that settles on P. strobus and inserts its stylet bundle to feed on the tree’s phloem. Although P. strobi is not considered a serious pest, it shares its range with the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae). Predators introduced as biological control agents of A. tsugae interact with P. strobi and its native predators, including Laricobius rubidus LeConte (Coleoptera: Derodontidae). Prior to this study, little work had been done to document the phenology or predators of P. strobi, particularly in its southern range. In the present study, the phenology of P. strobi is reported in southwestern Virginia. Patterns in overwintering population dynamics varied notably from those described from this species’ northern range. The number of annual generations could not be measured due to overlap following two distinct spring generations. Adult body size varied seasonally and was greatest in the spring. Variation between observations from the northern and southern ranges of P. strobi indicate phenological plasticity that informs biological control efforts and offers insight into implication of climatic effects on population dynamics of this and related species. Arthropod predators associated with P. strobi in forests of southwest Virginia were collected during a two-year survey. Morphology and DNA barcoding were used for identification. Species of predators found included: Laricobius rubidus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a native adelgid specialist, and two species from the dipteran family Chamaemyiidae, Leucopis piniperda Malloch and L. argenticollis Zetterstedt, which are adelgid specialists. Members of the families Cecidomyiidae, Coccinellidae, Chrysopidae, Hemerobiidae, and Syrphidae were also recovered. Most diverse were the Cecidomyiidae, with 15 different species inferred from their DNA barcodes. Additional work was performed to quantify supercooling points of L. rubidus collected from November – December 2016. These will be compared to those of other Laricobius species in a parallel study. Knowledge of this predator complex is beneficial to describing P. strobi ecology, and also with regard to potential biological control of invasive adelgids in the same region. / Ph. D. / The pine bark adelgid, Pineus strobi (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) is a native herbivore of eastern white pine, Pinus strobus (Pinales: Pinaceae), in eastern North America. It is a sedentary insect that settles on P. strobus bark, branches, and needle bases where it inserts its mouthparts to feed on the tree’s fluid nutrients. Even when P. strobi populations are dense, it does not harm the tree and is not considered a serious pest. It does, however, share its range with the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae). Predators introduced as biological control agents of A. tsugae also interact with P. strobi and its native predators, including Laricobius rubidus LeConte (Coleoptera: Derodontidae). Prior to the current study, little work had been done to document the natural history or predators of P. strobi, particularly in its southern range, both of which are relevant to the management of other invasive adelgid species found there. In the present study, the natural history of P. strobi is reported in southwestern Virginia. Patterns in the frequencies of various life stages present during the winter varied notably from those described from this species’ northern range. The number of annual generations could not be accurately measured due to the degree of overlap following two distinct spring generations. Adult body size varied seasonally and was greatest in the spring. Variation between observations from the northern and southern ranges of P. strobi indicates that its natural history can vary with the climate, which not only informs biological control efforts, but also offers insight into implication of climatic effects on the population dynamics of this and related species. This study also describes arthropod predators associated with the pine bark adelgid in forests of southwest Virginia found during a two-year survey. Physical characteristics and molecular techniques were used in identification. Species of predators found include: Laricobius rubidus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a native adelgid specialist, and two species from the family Chamaemyiidae, Leucopis piniperda Malloch (Diptera: Chamaemyiidae) and L. argenticollis Zetterstedt (Diptera: Chamaemyiidae), which are known adelgid specialists. Members of the families Cecidomyiidae, Coccinellidae, Chrysopidae, Hemerobiidae, and Syrphidae were also recovered. Most diverse were the Cecidomyiidae, with 15 different species genetically identified. Additional work was performed to quantify the bodily freezing points of L. rubidus collected from November – December 2016. These will be compared to those of related biological control agents in a parallel study. Knowledge of this predator complex is beneficial to describing P. strobi ecology, and also with regard to potential biological control of other invasive adelgids in the same region.

Hybridization was evaluated among three Laricobius spp. involved in the biological control of hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand). Following lab mating studies, there was no evidence that Laricobius osakensis Montgomery and Yu could produce hybrid progeny with either Laricobius nigrinus Fender or Laricobius rubidus LeConte. Interaction between L. osakensis and L. nigrinus did not result in a lower production of progeny as a result of fitness costs associated with interspecific mating attempts. Laricobius nigrinus and L. rubidus hybrids were produced in the lab and collected in the field. Hybrid progeny showed very little evidence of decreased fitness. For example, there was no significant difference in the number of days it took for hybrids and pure parental species to develop from egg hatch to the prepupal stage, there was no difference among hybrids and pure parental species in the head capsule widths and larval lengths for the first through third instar, and there was evidence of an F2 generation from field collected specimens. Hybrids produced in the lab had intermediate shaped genital paramere angles compared with parental species, and had elytra coloration similar to that of L. rubidus. Hybrids showed no host preference in the lab, but a preference for Adelges tsugae in the field. Of 12 site factors examined, only the number of years that L. nigrinus was present at the site was found to be associated with percent hybrids. Contamination of the L. osakensis colony with Laricobius naganoensis Leschen resulted in the need to develop molecular methods to differentiate L. osakensis from L. naganoensis. Three restriction enzymes were found that correctly differentiated the two species. / Ph. D.

Eastern and Carolina hemlock in the eastern United States are experiencing high mortality due to the invasive non-native hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). The most promising means of control of HWA is the importation of natural enemies from the native range of HWA for classical biological control. Prior to release, natural enemies must be tested for suitability as a control agent, including the ability to locate the target prey. Coleopteran predators, including Scymnus coniferarum and Laricobius osakensis are under consideration as a means of biological control of HWA. Laricobius nigrinus was released in hemlock forests in 2003. It was recently discovered to hybridize with the native Laricobius rubidus. Behavioral responses of these predators to HWA and host tree foliage were observed using a 4-chambered olfactometer, and genetic analysis was used to differentiate responses of L. nigrinus, L. rubidus, and hybrids. In the olfactometer, insects are allowed to amble about the arena and respond to volatile cues from each treatment. Host foliage with and without HWA was tested, as were various comparisons of eastern versus western foliage, host versus non-host foliage, and foliage containing HWA and a congeneric feeding beetle. Olfactometer bioassays demonstrated that foliage from hosts where prey is commonly found is preferable to foliage where prey is seldom found, and that the presence of HWA-induced volatile cues is the strongest driver of behavior, and trumps the presence of a competitor. There is evidence in the study that supports the reliability-detectability phenomenon common in parasitoid biological control agents. Hybrid individuals were found to behave similarly to released L. nigrinus, although in some cases intermediate behavioral traits were evident, with respect to the parental species. This study and others support the continued need for strict testing of potential biological control agents prior to release, as well as a strong impetus for the inclusion and implementation of genetic analysis as a standard component of agent evaluation.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 55 p. : ill., maps. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-50).

An invasive insect, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), has initiated widespread hemlock decline and mortality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Riparian hemlock mortality impacts on vegetative and aquatic systems of first-order, headwater streams were evaluated. Reference sites for this study were representative of the best available conditions within the GSMNP, with initial stages of HWA presence. Impacted sites were defined as areas with over 90 percent hemlock mortality. Impacted streams had decreased canopy coverage and increased light availability. Residual red maple, yellow birch, and sweet birch capitalized on the loss of hemlock, with increases in relative basal area and species importance values. Rosebay rhododendron responded with increased density and height at impacted sites, thereby preventing woody regeneration. Since long-term regeneration and post-mortality canopy recruitment are limited, alterations of vegetative composition and structure in the stream riparian zone are expected. A seasonal assessment (Sept. 2009 – March 2010) of aquatic impacts revealed increased diurnal variation in stream temperature and exhibited cooler temperatures during the colder months than reference streams. Impacted streams exhibited greater amounts and larger size classes of large woody debris (LWD). Higher concentrations for several nutrients, including silicon, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chlorine, and copper were detected in impacted streams than detected in reference streams. Impacted streams were characterized by higher pH and increased acid neutralization capacity, while reference streams exhibited nitrate concentrations three times higher than impacted stream concentrations. Reference streams were experiencing the initial stage of HWA-induced defoliations, increasing stream nitrate concentrations, while impacted sites had levels suggesting nitrate concentrations have returned to pre-infestation levels. A seasonal assessment of macroinvertebrates found species diversity, abundance, and taxa richness were not affected by hemlock mortality. Impacted streams had a lower density of Chironomidae and Ephemeroptera when compared to reference streams, while Pleuroceridae snails were virtually eliminated at impacted stream sites. Reference streams were dominated by the collector/filter functional feeding group (FFG), while impacted streams were dominated by the scraper FFG. Hemlock mortality induced by the presence of HWA has resulted in short-term impacts to vegetative and aquatic dynamics in stream riparian areas of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The hemlock-silverbell (Tsuga canadensis-Halesia tetraptera) forest type is known to exist in only two places, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) and the Joyce Kilmer National Memorial Forest. The hemlock component of this forest type is currently threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelgis tsugae), an invasive aphid-like insect native to Japan. This current status has given rise to the need to investigate the ecological resources of this rare forest type before the hemlock component dies out. The objectives of this study were to determine the nature of the plant/environment and plant/plant associations within this forest type. Within this forest type hemlock was negatively related to protection, aspect, and slope steepness and silverbell was positively related to aspect and slope steepness. This study also identified some interspecific associations such as the negative relationship in the understory between hemlock and striped maple, and provided evidence that understory stems are exhibiting a growth response to hemlock decline in these stands. The information obtained from this study characterizing the plant/environment interactions and even the structural and species components of this forest type will serve as a baseline of data from which to measure change and will provide insight into the mechanisms of species distribution and perhaps into short term scenarios of forest response to hemlock decline and mortality.