Changes to volatile profiles of arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis, from drought and insect infestation: olfactory cues for the cypress bark beetle, Phloeosinus aubei

The cypress bark beetle, Phloeosinus aubei (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) prefers to build breeding galleries in decaying host trees. However, volatile cues specific to decaying or actively infested trees have not yet been reported. Any such information would be useful for the management of this invasive, wood-boring species that has become established across Europe in the temperate zone and is now a key pest of ornamental Cupressaceae in nurseries and urban landscapes. Our objective was to reveal key components in host volatiles specific to stressed trees, which could be potential signals for the pest of its suitability for colonisation. Volatile profiles of arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' suffering from either dehydration or fresh infestation of P. aubei was collected and compared to that samples from healthy control trees. Analyses of volatiles by gas chromatography coupled to an electroantennographic detector revealed substantial differences between healthy, dehydrated and infested trees. Structural elucidation of the major antennally active components revealed that both & alpha;-pinene and & alpha;-thujene were prevalent in the volatiles of infested trees, whilst & alpha;-thujone was the major component in volatiles of healthy trees. In volatiles collected from trunks housing fresh P. aubei female nuptial chambers, sharp increases of & beta;-pinene, myrcene, limonene, and p-cymene were noticed, alongside trace amounts of camphene and fenchene. Volatiles collected from fresh frass showed a similar profile, but with a somewhat smaller amount of limonene. Fenchone was present in each type of volatiles, however, only in low amounts. Further studies should be directed to reveal the behavioural role of these components, which could be helpful in developing kairomone-based techniques for monitoring the flight of the pest in stands of scale-leafed trees.

Automated summary

The cypress bark beetle, Phloeosinus aubei, prefers decaying host trees and researchers have identified specific volatile cues associated with stressed trees, which could aid in managing this invasive species.