Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest Health
<i>Pinus species</i> are extensively abundant in Europe and, as pioneer trees, prominently influence local ecology. However, pine forests in Lithuania, Montenegro, and Ukraine have been significantly damaged by pine bark beetles (<i>Tomicus</i> sp.), which are closely associa...
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2025-03-01
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| author | Kateryna Davydenko Denys Baturkin Valentyna Dyshko Jelena Lazarević Adas Marčiulynas Malin Elfstrand Rimvydas Vasaitis Audrius Menkis |
| author_facet | Kateryna Davydenko Denys Baturkin Valentyna Dyshko Jelena Lazarević Adas Marčiulynas Malin Elfstrand Rimvydas Vasaitis Audrius Menkis |
| author_sort | Kateryna Davydenko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Pinus species</i> are extensively abundant in Europe and, as pioneer trees, prominently influence local ecology. However, pine forests in Lithuania, Montenegro, and Ukraine have been significantly damaged by pine bark beetles (<i>Tomicus</i> sp.), which are closely associated with ophiostomatoid and other pathogenic fungi. This study aimed to identify the diversity of ophiostomatoid and other fungi associated with <i>Tomicus</i> sp. in these three countries. Fungi were isolated from beetles and identified. High-throughput sequencing of ITS2 rDNA yielded 285,828 reads, of which 91,141 high-quality reads were retained, representing 561 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The most important groups of fungi included ophiostomatoids, yeasts, and plant pathogens. While the fungal communities associated with <i>Tomicus</i> spp. were influenced more by environmental factors than by beetle species, the presence of known pathogens such as <i>Ophiostoma</i> spp. indicates that <i>Tomicus</i> spp. could play a significant role in dispersing harmful fungi. Although the virulence of these fungi may vary, their association with potentially pathogenic species suggests that <i>Tomicus</i> spp. may contribute to forest health decline, especially if environmental conditions or host susceptibility change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a8669ffdb67843ebb044e52b7d219a21 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-a8669ffdb67843ebb044e52b7d219a212025-08-20T03:43:34ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-03-0116327710.3390/insects16030277Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest HealthKateryna Davydenko0Denys Baturkin1Valentyna Dyshko2Jelena Lazarević3Adas Marčiulynas4Malin Elfstrand5Rimvydas Vasaitis6Audrius Menkis7Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, SwedenForest Protection Service “Kharkivlisozahyst”, 62458 Kharkiv, UkraineUkrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration, 61024 Kharkiv, UkraineBiotechnical Faculty, University of Montenegro, Mihaila Lalića 15, 81000 Podgorica, MontenegroLithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Instituto al. 1, Akademija, LT-58344 Kėdainiai, LithuaniaDepartment of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden<i>Pinus species</i> are extensively abundant in Europe and, as pioneer trees, prominently influence local ecology. However, pine forests in Lithuania, Montenegro, and Ukraine have been significantly damaged by pine bark beetles (<i>Tomicus</i> sp.), which are closely associated with ophiostomatoid and other pathogenic fungi. This study aimed to identify the diversity of ophiostomatoid and other fungi associated with <i>Tomicus</i> sp. in these three countries. Fungi were isolated from beetles and identified. High-throughput sequencing of ITS2 rDNA yielded 285,828 reads, of which 91,141 high-quality reads were retained, representing 561 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The most important groups of fungi included ophiostomatoids, yeasts, and plant pathogens. While the fungal communities associated with <i>Tomicus</i> spp. were influenced more by environmental factors than by beetle species, the presence of known pathogens such as <i>Ophiostoma</i> spp. indicates that <i>Tomicus</i> spp. could play a significant role in dispersing harmful fungi. Although the virulence of these fungi may vary, their association with potentially pathogenic species suggests that <i>Tomicus</i> spp. may contribute to forest health decline, especially if environmental conditions or host susceptibility change.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/3/277<i>Pinus sylvestris</i>pine bark beetles<i>Tomicus</i>ophiostomatoid fungipathogensfungal diversity |
| spellingShingle | Kateryna Davydenko Denys Baturkin Valentyna Dyshko Jelena Lazarević Adas Marčiulynas Malin Elfstrand Rimvydas Vasaitis Audrius Menkis Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest Health Insects <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> pine bark beetles <i>Tomicus</i> ophiostomatoid fungi pathogens fungal diversity |
| title | Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest Health |
| title_full | Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest Health |
| title_fullStr | Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest Health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest Health |
| title_short | Fungal Pathogens Associated with <i>Tomicus</i> Species in European Forests: Regional Variations and Impacts on Forest Health |
| title_sort | fungal pathogens associated with i tomicus i species in european forests regional variations and impacts on forest health |
| topic | <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> pine bark beetles <i>Tomicus</i> ophiostomatoid fungi pathogens fungal diversity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/3/277 |
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