Dynamics of Airborne Conidia of the Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Fungal Pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales)

1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E Hajek ◽  
Cara H Olsen ◽  
Joseph S Elkinton
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Airborne Conidia

scholarly journals Modification of a Pollen Trap Design To Capture Airborne Conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga and Detection of Conidia by Quantitative PCR

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonya D. Bittner ◽  
Ann E. Hajek ◽  
Andrew M. Liebhold ◽  
Harold Thistle
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Trap Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Airborne Conidia

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to develop effective and practical field sampling methods for quantification of aerial deposition of airborne conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga over space and time. This important fungal pathogen is a major cause of larval death in invasive gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations in the United States. Airborne conidia of this pathogen are relatively large (similar in size to pollen), with unusual characteristics, and require specialized methods for collection and quantification. Initially, dry sampling (settling of spores from the air onto a dry surface) was used to confirm the detectability of E. maimaiga at field sites with L. dispar deaths caused by E. maimaiga, using quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods. We then measured the signal degradation of conidial DNA on dry surfaces under field conditions, ultimately rejecting dry sampling as a reliable method due to rapid DNA degradation. We modified a chamber-style trap commonly used in palynology to capture settling spores in buffer. We tested this wet-trapping method in a large-scale (137-km) spore-trapping survey across gypsy moth outbreak regions in Pennsylvania undergoing epizootics, in the summer of 2016. Using 4-day collection periods during the period of late instar and pupal development, we detected variable amounts of target DNA settling from the air. The amounts declined over the season and with distance from the nearest defoliated area, indicating airborne spore dispersal from outbreak areas. IMPORTANCE We report on a method for trapping and quantifying airborne spores of Entomophaga maimaiga, an important fungal pathogen affecting gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations. This method can be used to track dispersal of E. maimaiga from epizootic areas and ultimately to provide critical understanding of the spatial dynamics of gypsy moth-pathogen interactions.

Further spread of the gypsy moth fungal pathogen, Entomophaga maimaiga, to the west and north in Central Europe

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Holuša ◽  
Milan Zúbrik ◽  
Karolina Resnerová ◽  
Hana Vanická ◽  
Jan Liška ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
The West ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga

Isolation and characterization of Entomophaga maimaiga sp. nov., a fungal pathogen of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, from Japan

1988 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. Soper ◽  
Mitsuaki Shimazu ◽  
Richard A. Humber ◽  
Mark E. Ramos ◽  
Ann E. Hajek
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga

Storage of Resting Spores of the Gypsy Moth Fungal Pathogen, Entomophaga maimaiga

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 637-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Hajek ◽  
Micheal M. Wheeler ◽  
Callie C. Eastburn ◽  
Leah S. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Resting Spores

Detecting the titer in forest soils of spores of the gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) fungal pathogen, Entomophaga maimaiga (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales)

2002 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald M. Weseloh ◽  
Theodore G. Andreadis
Keyword(s):  
Forest Soils ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Spore Viability ◽  
Resting Spore ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Resting Spores ◽  
A Site ◽  
Spore Load

AbstractBioassays and direct counts were used to assess the abundance of resting spores of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), fungal pathogen, Entomophaga maimaiga Humber, Shimazu and Soper in forest soils. Resting spores in soil collected in October, January, and March and held under refrigeration germinated as readily as spores collected in April, but those collected in April germinated faster. Bioassays of resting spores in soils from different sites in Connecticut were directly related to results obtained from physically counting spores in the soil, and weakly correlated with a previously developed forest-based bioassay. The number of resting spores in a site was inversely related to the number of years since the site had last been defoliated by the gypsy moth, resulting in an implied maximum viability of resting spores of about 10 years. This maximum longevity was similar to a direct measure of long-term resting-spore viability. The study implies that resting-spore load in the soil may be an important determinant of the ability of the pathogen to control the gypsy moth.

Interactions between the introduced fungal pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga and indigenous tachinid parasitoids of gypsy moth Lymantria dispar in Bulgaria

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgi Georgiev ◽  
Zdravko Hubenov ◽  
Margarita Georgieva ◽  
Plamen Mirchev ◽  
Maria Matova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga

Assessing the climatic potential for epizootics of the gypsy moth fungal pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga in the North Central United States

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1958-1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan W. Siegert ◽  
Deborah G. McCullough ◽  
Robert C. Venette ◽  
Ann E. Hajek ◽  
Jeffrey A. Andresen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Spring Temperature ◽  
North Central ◽  
The North ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga

The fungal pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga Humber, Shimazu et Soper has become an important biocontrol for gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar (L.)) in the northeastern United States and is commonly introduced into new areas with established gypsy moth populations. Germination of the fungus is dependent on spring temperature and moisture, but specific conditions associated with epizootics have not been determined. Whether E. maimaiga will be as effective in other regions that experience different weather conditions is not yet known. We examined similarity of weather conditions associated with 16 documented E. maimaiga epizootics with conditions at 1351 North American locations using the climate-matching software CLIMEX. Based on CLIMEX’s overall index of climatic similarity, long-term annual climatic patterns across much of the eastern United States were 60%–80% similar to the conditions associated with epizootics. Monthly weather records from 1971 to 2000 in nine North Central states were examined to compare precipitation and temperature with conditions observed during epizootics. Based on climatic averages identified with the documented epizootics, temperature and precipitation conditions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio were more conducive for epizootics than conditions in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, which were likely to support E. maimaiga epizootics in fewer than 6 of the 30 years considered.

Types of spores produced by Entomophaga maimaiga infecting the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 708-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Hajek ◽  
Mitsuaki Shimazu
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Serial Passage ◽  
Molting Cycle ◽  
Resting Spore ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Resting Spores ◽  
Study Support

We investigated the association of environmental factors (temperature, photoperiod, host molting status) and fungal factors (isolate, dose, strain attenuation) with the production of conidia versus resting spores by the entomopathogenic fungus Entomophaga maimaiga infecting the larvae of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar. Fungal spores produced from individual cadavers of larvae killed by E. maimaiga can include conidia discharged from the cadaver surface, resting spores (azygospores) within the cadaver, or both spore types. The single factor having the greatest impact on the type of spore produced was host age; second instars virtually never contained resting spores, independent of temperature, while fifth instar cadavers contained resting spores more frequently at higher temperatures. However, there was increased conidiation at lower temperatures. Photoperiod was the only factor studied that did not significantly influence the type of spore produced. Resting spore production was negatively associated with the molting cycle; cadavers of those larvae that molted or exhibited premolt characteristics during the period between infection and death contained fewer resting spores. Increased fungal dose yielded more resting spores, as did extensive serial passage, which simultaneously caused a decrease in conidiation. Fungal isolates varied in the types of spores produced, with fewer cadavers of larvae killed by the least virulent isolate discharging conidia. Results from this study support the hypothesis that both the condition of the fungal pathogen as well as the environment surrounding it contribute to the types of spores produced. Keywords: fungal sporulation, resting spores, azygospores, Entomophthorales, Entomophaga maimaiga, biological control.

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