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Conifer bark beetles attack and kill mature spruce and pine trees, especially during hot and dry conditions. These
beetles are closely associated with ophiostomatoid fungi of the
Ascomycetes, including the genera Ophiostoma,
Grosmannia, and Endoconidiophora, which enhance beetle
success by improving nutrition and modifying their substrate,
but also have negative impacts on beetles by attracting predators
and parasites. A survey of the literature and our own data
revealed that ophiostomatoid fungi emit a variety of volatile
organic compounds under laboratory conditions including
fusel alcohols, terpenoids, aromatic compounds, and aliphatic
alcohols. Many of these compounds already have been shown
to elicit behavioral responses from bark beetles, functioning as
attractants or repellents, often as synergists to compounds currently
used in bark beetle control. Thus, these compounds
could serve as valuable new agents for bark beetle management.
However, bark beetle associations with fungi are very
complex. Beetle behavior varies with the species of fungus,
the stage of the beetle life cycle, the host tree quality, and
probably with changes in the emission rate of fungal volatiles.
Additional research on bark beetles and their symbiotic associates is necessary before the basic significance of ophiostomatoid fungal volatiles can be understood and their applied potential realized.
