This project is a component of a wide research in the Forestry Entomology Lab in Chemical Ecology (Department of Renewable Resources).

Mountain Pine beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae, Hopkins) have a mutualistic interaction with pathogenic fungi, where beetles benefit by overwhelming pine tree defenses and fungi are able to spread and develop inside the tree.

In 2020 was established an experiment in a lodgepole pine forest close to Hinton Town, where 10 Lodgepole pine trees was selected and treated with the three pathogenetic symbiotic fungi associated with MPB: Grosmannia clavigera, Ophiostoma montium and Leptographium longiclavatum.

In this research we want to test, in the natural environment, if the presence of symbiotic fungi of MPB can change the concentration of the chemical induced defenses of lodgepole pine trees and in case, how much is this difference in change within the three main symbiotic fungi. The results suggest, that lodgepole pine trees are able to respond under attack of these pathogens, differentiating the chemicals and their concentrations depending on the species of symbiotic fungi. This is a "smart" and efficient way to react in order to save energy and survive.

These outcomes are applicable in the forest sector to understand better the ecological mechanism of MPB and increase precision in prediction of outbreaks, creating more specific lures. In practice, understanding better these interaction allow foresters to maintain the level of quantity and quality of wood in respect of the native species of fungi and insects.