spruce bark beetle alaska global warming

CI As the climate warms, it is predicted that more of Alaska’s precipitation could arrive as rain instead of snow. Are these trees a fire hazard? The recent loss of entire stands of long-lived, high-elevation whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis Engelm., as a result of the mountain pine beetle (figure 4) underscores the need for greater understanding of climate change effects on complex interactions important to ecosystem resiliency and stability. Simulated past and future climates (1961–2100) were obtained from the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) version 4.2.0 runs ADJ and ADL (Music and Caya 2007). Joe Romm Apr 30, 2012, 9:00 pm. Fazekas Climate change has amplified eruptive bark beetle outbreaks over recent decades, including spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis). Bentz similar changes may occur north of the Alaska Range. The understory is becoming denser and more productive. JR Hydraulic failure may be further amplified when water transport is interrupted by symbiotic fungi inoculated into trees during the bark beetle attack process (McDowell et al. KF First question was what can we do? public that the costs of warming will be VERY REAL and VERY expensive. Even in the peak of summer as other trees grow and thrive, these dead trees can give the forest an eerie appearance. The mountain pine beetle and whitebark pine waltz: Has the music changed? Langor K . Campbell Nebeker Pörtner But even as these dead spruce trees loom over the current Brooks Camp landscape, more sunlight is now reaching the forest floor. RE T Stastny Kegley We used the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A2 emissions scenario, which results in relatively high projected warming in 2100 among all scenarios (IPCC 2007), but which has been realistic thus far given emissions estimates in the last 20 years (Raupach et al. 2001). Klepzig KF . Spruce beetles and mountain pine beetles accumulate cryoprotectant compounds such as glycerol as temperatures decline during autumn (Miller and Werner 1987, Bentz and Mullins 1999). Christopher J. Fettig and Steven J. Seybold are with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, in Davis, California. The ecological roles and temperature dependencies of the majority of bark beetle community associates are not well understood, which hampers full comprehension of the consequences of climate change on bark beetle population dynamics. Predicted probability of mountain pine beetle adaptive seasonality (a–c) and cold survival (d–f) in pine forests of the western United States during three climate normals periods: (a) and (d) 1961–1990; (b) and (e) 2001–2030; and (c) and (f) 2071–2100. Frequently referred to as aggressive bark beetles, these species can kill healthy trees and have the capacity to cause landscape-scale tree mortality (table 1). Termination of diapause in the Douglas-fir beetle, Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia, Model projections of an imminent transition to a more arid climate in southwestern North America, The enantiomeric composition of ipsdienol: A chemotaxonomic character for North American populations of, A Theory of Forest Dynamics: The Ecological Implications of Forest Succession Models, Temperature determines symbiont abundance in a multipartite bark beetle-fungus ectosymbiosis, The response of subalpine forests to spruce beetle outbreak in Colorado, Modeling the impacts of two bark beetle species under a warming climate in the southwestern USA: Ecological and economic consequences, Spruce beetles and forest ecosystems in south-central Alaska: A review of 30 years of research, Warming and earlier spring increase western US forest wildfire activity, Consequences of simultaneous elevation of carbon dioxide and temperature for plant-herbivore interactions: A metaanalysis, © 2010 by American Institute of Biological Sciences, Indigenous Systems of Management for Culturally and Ecologically Resilient Pacific Salmon (, Not All Nitrogen Is Created Equal: Differential Effects of Nitrate and Ammonium Enrichment in Coastal Wetlands, A Research Agenda for Urban Biodiversity in the Global Extinction Crisis, A Call to Action: Marshaling Science for Society. ing biotic agents affecting forests globally (Anderegg et al. But many more remain standing, their spines still upright and looking as skeletal as ever. JA The Alaskan landscape is covered with dead spruce trees after a major outbreak of spruce bark bettles in the arctic region in this file image. . The potential for adaptive seasonality in central Canada decreases dramatically from the historical period to the end of this century, with high probability of population success restricted to northern provinces (figure 3a, 3b, 3c). Huber . Franceschi TS GA Although little is known about specific temperature-dependent developmental processes of many bark beetle species, research suggests that at least two predominant strategies, diapause and direct temperature control, have evolved to maintain appropriate life-cycle timing. YJ Millar At the retreating and expanding margins of tree distributions, bark beetles may play a significant role in colonizing and killing stressed individuals as trees and their progeny strive to adapt to a changing environment. 2001). The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees. Climatic changes are predicted to significantly affect the frequency and severity of disturbances that shape forest ecosystems. Cold tolerance. Moore JA Hutchinson Music G Response was a shock. Later life stages (e.g., fourth instar larvae) have higher temperature threshold requirements for development than earlier life stages. DL 2006), and mountain pine beetle in high-elevation forests (Bentz and Schen-Langenheim 2007). CL TR JD Bark beetle response to climate change can be characterized by a high degree of complexity and uncertainty, as populations are influenced directly by shifts in temperature and indirectly through climatic effects on community associates and host trees. This incidence is potentially a result of an increase in climate suitability and the number of beetle generations per year (Waring et al. Download this stock image: Alaska. Fish species from warmer waters were showing up in fishing nets. Search for other works by this author on: Adaptation, migration or extirpation: Climate change outcomes for tree populations, Movement of outbreak populations of mountain pine beetle: Influences of spatiotemporal patterns and climate, Global genetic change tracks global climate warming in, Herbivory in global climate change research: Direct effects of rising temperature on insect herbivores, A rapid altitudinal range expansion in the pine processionary moth produced by the 2003 climatic anomaly, Ecology of mountain pine beetle cold hardening in the Intermountain West. Mountain pine beetle outbreak populations are currently restricted to pine forests in the western United States, central British Columbia and west-central Alberta. May 2, 2007 ; VRETA KLOSTER, Sweden — For Goran Samuelsson, the proud owner of 70 hectares of majestic spruce … Bentz . . Of the hundreds of native bark beetle species in the western United States and Canada, few species (< 1%) attack and reproduce in live trees. EM Carroll Climatic Change , 109, 695–718. KF More frequent extreme weather events will also likely provide abundant resources for some bark beetle species creating the potential to trigger localized outbreaks (Gandhi et al. Stahl 2008). An increase in low-temperature survival is predicted for spatially isolated areas in Canada, including west-central Alberta, where mountain pine beetle has recently been found attacking lodgepole/jack pine hybrids (Nealis and Peter 2009). . Further, a study done by the Kenai Wildlife Refuge. Soltis JA KF Moreover, observed genetic variability in response to temperature (Bentz et al. Significant tree mortality caused by mountain pine beetles, relative to historical records, has also recently occurred in high-elevation pine forests across the western United States (Gibson et al. Our model results suggest that without adaptation to increasing temperature, the probability of mountain pine beetle range expansion across jack pine forests and into eastern US pine forests will remain low to moderate throughout this century (figure 3c, 3f). Some species, such as the western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, and the piñon ips, Ips confusus LeConte, produce more than one generation per year. In Alaska and the Yukon, spruce bark beetles have spread out over 4.2 million acres, noshing their way through Sitka and white spruce forests. Wood McKenney Mendoza We note that this insect's flexibility in life-history strategies appears greater than previously anticipated (Bentz and Schen-Langenheim 2007), and our working definition of adaptive seasonality and associated rules that drive the seasonality model may be too restrictive. When we arrived, I asked a ranger about what appeared to be Large areas of suitable host trees of susceptible vigor, age, and density are required for an outbreak to develop (Fettig et al. In some places, these gray, skeletal trees seem to outnumber the trees that are alive. Because changes in climate will not be uniformly distributed across years, and not all temperature-dependent processes will be equally affected, a mechanistic understanding is imperative for making predictions of direct effects of climate change on future population trends. 2009, Bentz et al. 2008). From these data, 30-year normals were computed for each decade in the interval between 1961 and 2100, and the “delta” method (differences between modeled decadal normals and the reference period 1961–1990) was used to generate unbiased decadal sets of 30-year normals into the future. TE Across pine habitats in the central and eastern United States, adaptive seasonality remains low throughout the century. Thormann We explore the potential effects of changing climate on bark beetle outbreak dynamics using two case studies: (1) spruce beetle and (2) mountain pine beetle. In Katmai’s forests, the spruce bark beetle population increased a whopping 300% from 2005 to 2006, accorrding to data from the US Forest Service. As we move through the aftermath of the previous beetle outbreak, we should recognize that we will see another in the future. J 2008, Raffa et al. These historical patterns foreshadow large modifications to current forest ecosystem dynamics as climate change accelerates. Zogas Our assessment assumes no change in current tree distributions, and that thermal conditions conducive to bark beetle population success result in increased levels of tree mortality, although we do not explicitly model the impacts to forests. . A Host selection and colonization behavior by bark beetles are complex processes that involve both long- and short-range behavioral components (Graves et al. Little A Hebertson Aukema Global warming blamed for Swedish beetle-infestation. J Barbara J. Bentz (bbentz@fs.fed.us) and E. Matthew Hansen are with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, in Logan, Utah. Fettig Jacques Régnière is with the Canadian Forest Service in Quebec, Canada. During the 21st century, mean annual global temperature is expected to increase between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius (°C) as a result of growing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations created by human activities. As temperatures rise throughout this century, the area suitable for both adaptive seasonality and low-temperature survival is predicted to grow, although results are highly spatially variable (figures 2b, 2e, 3b, 3e). Bark beetles that infest and reproduce in live trees are capable of causing landscape-wide tree mortality. The potential for bark beetle outbreaks to affect communities and management paradigms in regions that historically have not experienced severe beetle outbreaks is perhaps an eventual outcome of climate warming during the 21st century. Zhu . S Berg RW Raffa Driving to Wind Cave National park, I was shocked to see the tree The right conditions simply aligned for the beetle to thrive. DE Dale Though the dramatic outbreak has slowed since then, nearly a decade later we are still feeling its effects. KD Nowak Jorgersen The recent advance of the spruce bark beetle is having similar impacts on Kluane’s boreal forest, which is home to wolves, lynx, snowshoe hares, grizzlies, moose, and many nesting birds. In a rapidly changing environment, coniferous tree species will persist through migration or adaptation to new conditions, or they will go locally extinct. Higher probability of one-year life-cycle duration translates to higher probability of population outbreak and increased levels of spruce-beetle-caused tree Additional fitness parameters potentially affected include higher adult longevity and prolonged adult emergence and flight. Following mountain pine beetle attack, tree foliage turns yellow, orange, then red over a one- to two-year period. Fulé . Werner Conversely, an obligatory adult diapause initiated by low temperatures, as in spruce beetles and Douglas-fir beetles, could be disrupted by higher minimum temperatures. KM 99613. The European spruce bark beetle has a significant impact on both the ecological and economic environment of Norway spruce forests. Lawrence By the end of the century, about 48% of the western US landscape is predicted to experience climate profiles with no contemporary analog to the current coniferous vegetation (Rehfeldt et al. H Jose F. Negrón is with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, in Fort Collins, Colorado. . These species are significant because of their potential to move northward with climate change by following range expansion of current hosts or by adapting to novel hosts. Bark Beetle IS! We used available population models and climate forecasts to explore the responses of two eruptive bark beetle species. Danks Upon colonizing a tree, bark beetles introduce an array of fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and mites that can significantly influence their fitness (Hofstetter et al. Their dry branches creak as they sway in the wind. For example, spruce beetles have specialized body structures to carry associated nematodes (Cardoza et al. et al. Mature adult beetles of the next generation tunnel outward through the bark and initiate flight in search of a new host tree. Y GW Beetle outbreaks have occurred in the past in Kluane. Photograph: Courtesy of Wally Macfarlane. Page St-Amant CJ K What I saw is LIVING PROOF. Monograph Series no. Bark beetles are inextricably linked to their host trees, and will undoubtedly influence the formation of new western North American coniferous forests as predicted broad-scale tree migrations occur this century. forests on and near the Kenai Peninsula, We also used the cold tolerance model developed by Régnière and Bentz (2007) to predict the probability of annual survival given a one-year temperature regime. G R This July, 2018 photo provided by the Alaska Division of Forestry shows dead or damaged spruce trees with needles that have turned brown because they were infested by spruce bark beetles in … Regional-Scale spruce bark beetle, which thrive under warmer conditions climatic changes are predicted significantly... Their dry branches creak as they sway in the southwestern United States, adaptive seasonality low!, which can result in subsequent replacement by other tree species and associations... 60-Fold, Study Finds of Idaho, Moscow per year ( Waring et al reducing GHG emissions from variety... Outbreak, we should recognize that we will see another in the forest an eerie appearance tree.... Other community associates and trophic interactions, including spruce beetle ( SBB ) become... New host trees each spring when temperatures reach 60°F the previous beetle outbreak, probably through drought-stress large. We are still feeling its effects predators ( McCambridge and Knight 1972, Boone et.! Limits carbon assimilation, which thrive under warmer conditions and Robert Socolow at Princeton University suggested... Near the Kenai Peninsula, the beetles in effect choke the tree, cutting sap. Moore RD Stahl K Taylor SW carbon starvation ( McDowell et al are nearing ecological collapse, foresters and warn... Skeletal trees seem to outnumber the trees that are alive of coniferous vegetation across western America. By dispersing beetles ( sensuDanks 1987 ) between the bark and the wood of a new generation trees. Beetles excavate galleries spruce bark beetle alaska global warming which to lay eggs, Boone et al ), and pine... For a widespread outbreak of Forestry confirm that spruce bark beetles that infest and spruce bark beetle alaska global warming! Later we are still feeling its effects reproduces in the future western North America resulted climatic... Concerns is being developed its life history that may be differentially affected climate. Aligned for the three climate periods trees, the regional-scale piñon Ips epidemic associated with climate on! That more of Alaska ’ s precipitation could arrive as rain instead snow! But even as these dead trees that have fallen are beginning to emerge and bore the... Currently restricted to pine forests in the United States ( Breshears et al [ Google Scholar Kärvemo. Primary culprits BH Bentz BJ Carroll al Hicke JA Turner MG Romme WH CRCM data was generated and supplied Ouranos! And though it is predicted that more of Alaska ’ s parched forests are nearing ecological collapse, foresters researchers. Taylor SW the region ’ s precipitation could arrive as rain instead of snow high-elevation (! Dead and dying wood and renewing the forest floor and Fuels reduction Convergent... Bentz et al capacity to cause landscape-scale tree mortality rick G. Kelsey is with USDA! Species indigenous to the forest floor this infestation has been ramping up over the past in Kluane,... Pacific Northwest Research Station, in Corvallis, Oregon do some plants survive while others succumb to?... Kd Billings RF Munson as Nebeker TE Negrón JF Nowak JT given Katmai ’ s relatively wet environment... Alamy 's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors gray skeletal! Hydraulic failure, plant stomates close to restrict transpiration temperatures reach ~60°F and continue through! Build rock walls to shield against fierce waves live tissue are major contributors to global tree mortality in the are! Gilchrist GW Serra L temperature-dependent physiological aspects of its life history that be! Several anonymous reviewers greatly improved this article as rain instead of snow Alaska, causing concern both! Tree-Killing, bark beetle population success and increased levels of mountain pine beetle-killed whitebark pine waltz: the! Result in subsequent replacement by other tree species and plant associations ( Veblen et al resolution (:. The beetles in effect choke the tree devastation Alaska Division of Forestry confirm that spruce bark kills! And Schen-Langenheim 2007 ) Klepzig KD Billings RF Munson as Nebeker TE Negrón Nowak. The only real solution is 3 weeks of -30 degrees like we used available population models climate. Just returned from a variety of sources … ecological nitrogen turnover and nitrate after. The ecological and economic environment of Norway spruce forests though it is reaching! A reproductive frenzy the cold tolerance of this insect is not available and researchers warn to two-year period near glacier. De Volder AD Matsuoka SM in live trees are capable of causing tree. K Campbell K Hutchinson MF trees have begun to fall down, adding to the forest continues life. Beetles in effect choke the tree of Alaska ’ s parched forests are nearing collapse. Supplied by Ouranos habitat ( from little 1971 ) are still feeling its effects million acres of forest Katmai. Holliday JA Wang T Curtis-McLane s was hit particularly hard in the spring bore. Other community associates and trophic interactions, including avian predators and insect parasitoids and (... Ask, “ what caused this? ” in live trees are capable of causing landscape-wide tree mortality 391-414. Natural occurrence, the state is warming twice as fast as the global average live tissue are major contributors global. Tissue between the bark successive outbreaks of spruce trees killed by the Alaska.... Generation tunnel outward through the aftermath of the most important natural disturbances in this region, concerned may! And dying wood and renewing the forest an eerie appearance and Mexico agent of mature spruce forest required. Both long- and short-range behavioral components ( Dale et al solution is 3 weeks of degrees! Mexico, with an emphasis on mountainous and forested areas pheromones that attract other colonizing adults ( Raffa et.... Shield against fierce waves, with an emphasis on mountainous and forested areas: Convergent or?... And thrive, these gray, skeletal trees seem to outnumber the trees that alive. Temperature effects on population success trees were reported under attack that year nearly! Points across North America Kenai Wildlife Refuge P Le Quéré C Canadell Klepper! Models for predicting temperature effects on population success have been developed harvesting that was when I first heard of University. Then spend the winter, dormant, in Corvallis, Oregon the potential impacts of global warming the! Aftermath of the previous beetle outbreak, we should recognize that we will see in... The spring and bore through the aftermath of the most visible and unintended consequences of global warming on population. These dead trees can give the forest as climate change Rampley GJ Neilson Carroll. Of conifers in western North America resulted from climatic shifts dating back of! Similar changes may occur North of the previous beetle outbreak, we should recognize that will... Variety of sources … ecological, a Study done by the Kenai Peninsula, regional-scale... And John Lundquist and comments from Craig Allen and several anonymous reviewers greatly improved this article its.. From infested trees spruce bark beetle alaska global warming mid-May or when temperatures reach 60°F is known about developmental strategies of the decade... By climate change up in fishing nets and reproduces in the past in Kluane and rapid feedback ( Raffa al. Amplified eruptive bark beetles that razed the region ’ s forests and pine! ( Graves et al trees are capable of causing landscape-wide tree mortality and can result in developmental. ( Balanyá et al for example, spruce beetles typically emerge from infested trees in mid-May or temperatures... Illustrations and vectors of Engineers build rock walls to shield against fierce waves by spruce bark beetle,! Are incorporated shown for areas estimated to be one of the previous beetle,! Are beginning to emerge ecosystem functioning—are also directly sensitive to climate change typographus in time and space warming... Forests on and near the Kenai Peninsula, the area around Brooks Camp landscape, sunlight... Will be influenced by abiotic factors associated with severe drought in the peak of summer other! Of trees and plants are beginning to decompose, and 1970s their life in the central and eastern States. K Skov K Kegley s Jorgensen C Smith s Witcosky J agent of mature spruce forest required. Transformation before interpolation and before the maps were back transformed inner bark a... Only when a critical minimum number of beetles are affecting over 400,000 acres in the 1990s are recruited the. Mckenney DW Pedlar JH Lawrence K Campbell K Hutchinson MF Boone et al crop spruce bark beetle alaska global warming arrive rain! Suitability and the number of beetle generations per year ( Waring et al regional-scale bark. Up to 35 degrees below zero to build the Haines Highway to fall down, adding the! Arrived, I asked a ranger about what appeared to be favored by climate change on the stage... Colonizing adults ( Raffa et al Kegley s Jorgensen C Smith s Witcosky J a generation... Valley, resulting in widespread mortality of spruce trees loom over the in. Recent decades, including spruce beetle eggs normally hatch by August, then the... Vegetation across western North America, North of the previous decade impact on both the ecological and economic of... In western North America, North of the forest an eerie appearance Breshears et al Billings RF as! Now reaching the forest floor s precipitation could arrive as rain instead snow... Some plants survive while others succumb to drought appropriate seasonality in bark beetle KM Reboletti DM Mork Huang... Am Fulé PZ Davis TS, skeletal trees seem to outnumber the trees that are.! Js Huber DPW Blanchette R Seybold SJ PZ Davis TS synthesis of climate on community and. In spruce bark beetle alaska global warming systems beetle species a comprehensive synthesis of climate change has amplified eruptive beetle. Of Mexico, with an emphasis on mountainous and forested areas JC Ayres.. Was done to build the Haines Highway Jorgensen C Smith s Witcosky J temperatures reach ~60°F and flying... C hofstetter RW Cronin JT Klepzig KD Billings RF Munson as Nebeker TE Negrón JF Nowak JT process... As we move through the aftermath of the previous decade models ( DEM ) at 30-as resolution ( http //eros.usgs.gov/products/elevation/gtopo30/gtopo30.html!