Mountain Pine Beetle Develops an Unprecedented Summer Generation in Response to Climate Warming

The mountain pine beetle (MPB;Dendroctonus ponderosae) is native to western North America, attacks most trees of the genusPinus, and periodically erupts in epidemics. The current epidemic of the MPB is an order of magnitude larger than any previously recorded, reaching trees at higher elevation and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 2012-05, Vol.179 (5), p.E163-E171
Main Authors: Mitton, Jeffry B., Ferrenberg, Scott M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult insects
Adults
Animals
Bark beetles
Climate Change
Climate models
Coleoptera - growth & development
Colorado
Coniferous forests
Dendroctonus ponderosae
Developmental biology
Epidemics
E–Natural History Note
Global warming
Habitats
Heat sums
Insects
Life cycle
Life Cycle Stages
Pinus
Pinus - parasitology
Summer
Temperature
Trees
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Summary:The mountain pine beetle (MPB;Dendroctonus ponderosae) is native to western North America, attacks most trees of the genusPinus, and periodically erupts in epidemics. The current epidemic of the MPB is an order of magnitude larger than any previously recorded, reaching trees at higher elevation and latitude than ever before. Here we show that after 2 decades of air-temperature increases in the Colorado Front Range, the MPB flight season begins more than 1 month earlier than and is approximately twice as long as the historically reported season. We also report, for the first time, that the life cycle in some broods has increased from one to two generations per year. Because MPBs do not diapause and their development is controlled by temperature, they are responding to climate change through faster development. The expansion of the MPB into previously inhospitable environments, combined with the measured ability to increase reproductive output in such locations, indicates that the MPB is tracking climate change, exacerbating the current epidemic.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/665007