Host specificity of bark beetles Host specificity of bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae & (Curculionidae: Scolytinae & Platypodinae)Platypodinae) in lowland rainforests in lowland rainforests of Papua New Guineaof Papua New Guinea

Martin Mogia, Mark Andreas, Martin Mogia, Mark Andreas, Jiři Jiři HulcrHulcr & Gregory Setliff& Gregory Setliff

Parataxonomist Training CenterParataxonomist Training CenterMadang, PNGMadang, PNG

Almost nothing is Almost nothing is known about the known about the number of bark beetle number of bark beetle species living in New species living in New Guinean rainforests Guinean rainforests and about the host and about the host plants they use. plants they use.

MethodsMethods

We sampled in primary We sampled in primary and secondary forests and secondary forests in Madang Provincein Madang Province

Target TreesTarget Trees

more distantly relatedmore distantly related::

5 species from different families5 species from different families

Sterculiaceae, Lauraceae, Apocynaceae, Myristicaceae, and Sapotaceae

closely related:2 genera and 3 species of M2 genera and 3 species of MoraceaeoraceaeFicus pachystemon, Ficus nodosa, Artocarpus communis

8 species sampled.8 species sampled.

MethodsMethods

We killed the trees and We killed the trees and left them standing in left them standing in the forest until they the forest until they were dry and infested were dry and infested with bark beetles.with bark beetles.

Then we cut the trees Then we cut the trees and took timber and took timber samples to the lab.samples to the lab.

TrunkTrunkBranchesBranches

TwigsTwigs

Tree PartsTree Parts

RootsRoots

MethodsMethods We used these We used these extractors to collect extractors to collect bark beetles bark beetles emerging from the emerging from the timber samples. timber samples.

MethodsMethodsSpecimens reared from the extractors were sorted Specimens reared from the extractors were sorted to species and labeled.to species and labeled.

MethodsMethods

All data were All data were added to our added to our database.database.

ResultsResults

30,000 Individuals30,000 Individuals

77 Species77 Species

Species abundance for all trees

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64 67 70 73 76

Species

Indi

vidu

als

ResultsResults

We found that only three species were very common, We found that only three species were very common, while most of the other 74 species were very rare. while most of the other 74 species were very rare.

Species richness

0

4000

8000

12000

Ficus

nodo

saPte

rocym

bium

Litse

aMy

ristic

a

F. pa

chys

temon

Als

tonia

Artoc

arpus

Po

uteria

Indi

vidu

als

0

15

30

45

Spec

ies

SpeciesIndividuals

ResultsResults

Host range

0 2 4 6 8

12345678

No.

of h

ost u

sed

No. of bark beetle species

ResultsResults

Only 6 bark beetle species were reared from just one host Only 6 bark beetle species were reared from just one host tree, while remaining 29 species had from 2 to 8 hoststree, while remaining 29 species had from 2 to 8 hosts

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Ficus nodosa &F.pachystemon

Ficus & Artocarpus Moraceae &Sterculiaceae

% o

f spe

cies

Shared speciesNot shared

ResultsResults Overlap in bark beetle species between different hosts

Many bark beetle species are shared Many bark beetle species are shared between different host plant species, genera and families.between different host plant species, genera and families.

Host part preference

0

5

10

15

20

25

Trunk Branches Twigs Roots

No.

of s

peci

es

ResultsResults

Host part specificity

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

1

2

3

4

No.

of p

arts

use

d

No. of species

ResultsResults

Bark beetles are generally feeding on more than one part of the Bark beetles are generally feeding on more than one part of the tree. tree. They were most often found using three parts of the host tree: They were most often found using three parts of the host tree: trunk, branches and twigstrunk, branches and twigs

ConclusionsConclusionsBark beetle communities in PNG:Bark beetle communities in PNG:

•• are not specialists as they mostly are not specialists as they mostly feed on more than one host tree feed on more than one host tree species, genus and familyspecies, genus and family•• are not restricted to only one part of the are not restricted to only one part of the host tree host tree

•• have a few very common species have a few very common species while most of the species are rarewhile most of the species are rare

Bark beetle species in PNG:Bark beetle species in PNG:

•• Parataxonomist Training CenterParataxonomist Training Center•• The Ohu communityThe Ohu community• • BrusBrus IsuaIsua, Steven , Steven SauSau and Erik and Erik BrusBrus & the & the

staff of the staff of the OhuOhu Bush labBush lab• Vojtech Novotny• Vojtech Novotny• National Research Institute of Papua New Guinea• National Research Institute of Papua New Guinea• National Science Foundation & Darwin Initiative• National Science Foundation & Darwin Initiative

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

roots &twigs

roots &branches

roots &trunk

trunk &twigs

branches& twigs

branches& trunk

%

ResultsResultsPercent of shared species

between tree parts

Target TreesTarget Trees

Ficus nodosa Ficus nodosa Ficus Ficus pachystemonpachystemonArtocarpusArtocarpus communiscommunis

LitseaLitsea timorianatimorianaAlstoniaAlstonia brassiibrassiiPterocymbiumPterocymbium beccariibeccariiMyristicaMyristica sp.sp.PouteriaPouteria sp.sp.

(Moraceae)(Moraceae)

(5 other (5 other families)families)