JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2011, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (04): 147-148.doi: 10.3969/j.jssn.1000-2006.2011.04.031

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Interactions of the pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) with its vector in Portugal

Pedro Miguel Naves, Luís Bonifácio, Edmundo Sousa   

  1. Instituto Nacional de Recursos Biolicos,IP,Quinta do Marquês 2780-Oeiras, Portugal
  • Online:2011-08-13 Published:2011-08-13

Abstract: The most important aspects of the interactions between the pine wood nematode (PWN) (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) and its local insect vector, the pine sawyer Monochamus galloprovincialis have been recently studied for the first time in Portugal and Europe. Inside the dead pines the pinewood nematode was found to associate with the callow adults in the pupal chambers, just before the insects emergence. The nematodes are more abundant on the thoracic region of the insects, namely on the metathorax segment. After emergence, transmission of the PWN into new hosts occurs by the feeding activity of the beetles, being more frequent during the six weeks after emergence. Nematode transmission also occurs by the oviposition activity of the female beetles, although with less frequency and success. Overall, the main aspects of the multiple interactions between B. xylophilus and M. galloprovincialis recently studied in Europe were found to be extremely similar to other wellknown interactions of the PWN with other Monochamus vectors worldwide, namely with M. alternatus in Asia and M. carolinensis in North America. The factors that regulate the most important aspects of the nematodevector phoresis probably result from a complex interaction of endogenous and exogenous factors such as chemical odours and signals. Such factors apparently exert their effect independently of the pine host involved and the Monochamus species vectoring the PWN locally. Nevertheless, despite their importance, these mechanisms and stimuli are mostly unknown and, in general, very poorly understood. A better understanding of such mechanisms could lead to the development of innovative perspectives to disrupt the key moments of the interaction between the two organisms, therefore creating innovative approaches to control the pine wilt disease.

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