TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of phytopathogenicity in bark beetle-fungus symbioses
T2 - A challenge to the classic paradigm
AU - Six, Diana L.
AU - Wingfield, Michael J.
PY - 2011/1/7
Y1 - 2011/1/7
N2 - The idea that phytopathogenic fungi associated with tree-killing bark beetles are critical for overwhelming tree defenses and incurring host tree mortality, herein called the classic paradigm (CP), has driven research on bark beetle-fungus symbiosis for decades. It has also strongly influenced our views of bark beetle ecology. We discuss fundamental flaws in the CP, including the lack of consistency of virulent fungal associates with tree-killing bark beetles, the lack of correspondence between fungal growth in the host tree and the development of symptoms associated with a successful attack, and the ubiquity of similar associations of fungi with bark beetles that do not kill trees. We suggest that, rather than playing a supporting role for the host beetle (tree killing), phytopathogenicity performs an important role for the fungi. In particular, phytopathogenicity may mediate competitive interactions among fungi and support survival and efficient resource capture in living, defensive trees.
AB - The idea that phytopathogenic fungi associated with tree-killing bark beetles are critical for overwhelming tree defenses and incurring host tree mortality, herein called the classic paradigm (CP), has driven research on bark beetle-fungus symbiosis for decades. It has also strongly influenced our views of bark beetle ecology. We discuss fundamental flaws in the CP, including the lack of consistency of virulent fungal associates with tree-killing bark beetles, the lack of correspondence between fungal growth in the host tree and the development of symptoms associated with a successful attack, and the ubiquity of similar associations of fungi with bark beetles that do not kill trees. We suggest that, rather than playing a supporting role for the host beetle (tree killing), phytopathogenicity performs an important role for the fungi. In particular, phytopathogenicity may mediate competitive interactions among fungi and support survival and efficient resource capture in living, defensive trees.
KW - Dendroctonus
KW - Ips
KW - Scolytinae
KW - mutualism
KW - ophiostomatoid fungi
KW - tree defenses
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78650879897&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1146/annurev-ento-120709-144839
DO - 10.1146/annurev-ento-120709-144839
M3 - Article
C2 - 20822444
AN - SCOPUS:78650879897
SN - 0066-4170
VL - 56
SP - 255
EP - 272
JO - Annual Review of Entomology
JF - Annual Review of Entomology
ER -