Potential Impacts of Emerald Ash Borer Biocontrol on Ash Health and Recovery in Southern Michigan

Forests

DanielM. Kashian¹  BenjaminA. Spei¹  JianJ. Duan²  LeahS. Bauer³  JuliR. Gould⁴ 

[1]Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA

[2]United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit, Newark, DE 19713, USA

[3]United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Lansing, MI 48910, USA

[4]United States of Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Science and Technology, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542, USA

关键词: Agrilus planipennis;    disturbance;    forest recovery;    Fraxinus spp.;    invasive species;    Tetrastichus planipennisi;    Oobius agrili;    Spathius galinae;    Michigan;    tree regeneration;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f9060296

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle that kills native North American ash species, threatening their persistence. A classical biological control program for EAB was initiated in 2007 with the release of three specialized EAB parasitoids. Monitoring changes in the health and regeneration of ash where EAB biocontrol agents have been released is critical for assessing the success of EAB biocontrol and predicting future changes to the ash component of North American forests. We sampled release and control plots across southern Michigan over a three-year period to measure ash health and recruitment to begin assessing the long-term impact of EAB biological control on ash populations. We noted a reduced mortality of larger trees between 2012 and 2015 in release plots compared to control plots and increases in ash diameter, but our results were otherwise inconsistent. Ash regeneration was generally higher in release plots compared to control plots but highly variable among sites, suggesting some protection of ash saplings from EAB by parasitoids. We conclude that EAB biocontrol is likely to have a positive effect on ash populations, but that the study duration was not long enough to definitively deduce the long-term success of the biocontrol program in this region.

【 授权许可】

Unknown