Dispersal and larval hosts of the zigzag sawfly Aproceros leucopoda (Hymenoptera) in Slovakia, Central Europe

Background and purposeThe zigzag elm sawfly, Aproceros leucopoda (Hymenoptera), originating from Asia is being considered as one of the major pests of elm trees (Ulmus spp.) within Europe where it was first recorded in 2003. Recent investigations document the fast spread of this invasive species in many European countries. In Slovakia, A. leucopoda was first recorded in 2009 but its occurrence here has not been reported since 2009. Herein, we summarize the data from the two consecutive years about the current distribution of A. leucopoda and its hosts in Slovakia, Central Europe, focusing on infestation of elm trees by this successful invader in different altitudes.Material and methodsIn 2014 and 2015 the investigations of A. leucopoda were conducted at 101 different plots across the country. At each plot, characteristic symptoms of leaf damage, occurrence of larvae, cocoons or adults were recorded along with the geographical coordinates and the altitude, and the host trees of A. leucopoda were identified at the species level. The distribution map of A. leucopoda was drawn using the field data. The infestation of elm trees along the altitudinal gradient was analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric analysis of variance followed by post-hoc Dunn\u27s test for multiple comparisons.Results and conclusionsThe zigzag elm sawfly A. leucopoda was observed at 31 plots (30.7%, n = 101). In elm trees examined, generally, a low level of infestation by this pest was observed. A. leucopoda was found at plots between 107 and 701 m a.s.l. The result show that the infestation level of elm trees was decreasing with increasing altitude. Although we had only a small sample of data, we assume that the altitude has a significant effect on distribution of this pest. The field elm (Ulmus minor Mill.) was the most frequently utilized host. Data collected document the establishment of this successful invader in Slovakia.</p

Comparison of pheromone traps for monitoring of the European spruce bark beetle

Six trap models were compared with respect to their ability to capture European spruce bark beetles and technical details in handling and use. All trap models proved to be efficient and gave high captures of beetles during operation for one summer season (2013). Ranking the trap models in descending order of total capture of beetles gave this list: Lindgren trap, Theysohn, prototype-P, Ecotrap, BEKA, and prototype-K. However, there was much variation in trapping results between localities for all trap models, and the estimated means did in most cases not differ significantly between models. The estimated mean capture of the Lindgren trap was significantly higher than for prototype-K and BEKA, but their confidence intervals were wide and they were close to being insignificantly different. The retail price of the traps vary from about 10 € (Ecotrap) to 50-55 € (Lindgren), while prices are not available for the two prototypes, which are not in regular production. Advantages and disadvantages concerning weight, size, robustness, draining of rain water, ease of handling and mounting are commented on in the discussion, and technical details of the traps are presented in a separate appendix (6).publishedVersio

Drought or Severe Drought? Hemiparasitic Yellow Mistletoe (Loranthus europaeus) Amplifies Drought Stress in Sessile Oak Trees (Quercus petraea) by Altering Water Status and Physiological Responses

European oak species have long been considered relatively resistant to different disturbances, including drought. However, several recent studies have reported their decline initiated by complex changes. Therefore, we compared mature sessile oak trees (Quercus petraea (Matt.), Liebl.) infested versus non-infested by hemiparasitic yellow mistletoe (Loranthus europaeus Jacq.) during the relatively dry vegetation season of 2019. We used broad arrays of ecophysiological (maximal assimilation rate Asat, chlorophyll a fluorescence, stomatal conductance gS, leaf morphological traits, mineral nutrition), growth (tree diameter, height, stem increment), and water status indicators (leaf water potential &Psi;, leaf transpiration T, water-use efficiency WUE) to identify processes underlying vast oak decline. The presence of mistletoe significantly reduced the &Psi; by 1 MPa, and the WUE by 14%. The T and gS of infested oaks were lower by 34% and 38%, respectively, compared to the non-infested oaks, whereas the Asat dropped to 55%. Less pronounced but significant changes were also observed at the level of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry. Moreover, we identified the differences in C content, which probably reduced stem increment and leaf size of the infested trees. Generally, we can conclude that mistletoe could be a serious threat that jeopardizes the water status and growth of oak stands