The ongoing range expansion of the invasive oak lace bug across Europe: current occurrence and potential distribution under climate change.

In recent years, the oak lace bug, Corythucha arcuata, has emerged as a significant threat to European oak forests. This species, native to North America, has in the last two decades rapidly extended its range in Europe, raising concerns about its potential impact on the continent's invaluable oak populations. To address this growing concern, we conducted an extensive study to assess the distribution, colonization patterns, and potential ecological niche of the oak lace bug in Europe. We gathered 1792 unique presence coordinates from 21 Eurasian countries, utilizing diverse sources such as research observations, citizen science initiatives, GBIF database, and social media reports. To delineate the realized niche and future distribution, we employed an ensemble species distribution modelling (SDM) framework. Two future greenhouse gas scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) were considered across three-time intervals (2021-2040, 2061-2080, and 2081-2100) to project and evaluate the species' potential distribution in the future. Our analysis revealed that significant hotspots rich in host species occurrence for this invasive insect remain uninvaded so far, even within its suitable habitat. Furthermore, the native ranges of Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) and Hungarian oak (Quercus frainetto L.) species offer entirely suitable environments for the oak lace bug. In contrast, the pedunculate oak and sessile oak distribution ranges currently show only 40 % and 50 % suitability for colonization, respectively. However, our predictive models indicate a significant transformation in the habitat suitability of the oak lace bug, with suitability for these two oak species increasing by up to 90 %. This shift underlines an evolving landscape where the oak lace bug may exploit more of its available habitats than initially expected. It emphasises the pressing need for proactive measures to manage and stop its expanding presence, which may lead to a harmful impact on the oak population across the European landscape.

Climatic oscillations in Quaternary have shaped the co-evolutionary patterns between the Norway spruce and its host-associated herbivore.

During the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Hemisphere, expanding ice sheets forced a large number of plants, including trees, to retreat from their primary distribution areas. Many host-associated herbivores migrated along with their host plants. Long-lasting geographic isolation between glacial refugia could have been led to the allopatric speciation in separated populations. Here, we have studied whether the migration history of the Norway spruce Picea abies in Quaternary has affected its host-associated herbivorous beetle-Monochamus sartor. By using microsatellite markers accompanied by the geometric morphometrics analysis of wing venation, we have revealed the clear geographic structure of M. sartor in Eurasia, encompassing two main clusters: southern (Alpine-Carpathian) and eastern (including northeastern Europe and Asia), which reflects the northern and southern ecotypes of its host. The two beetles' lineages probably diverged during the Pleniglacial (57,000-15,000 BC) when their host tree species was undergoing significant range fragmentation and experienced secondary contact during post-glacial recolonization of spruce in the Holocene. A secondary contact of divergent lineages of M. sartor has resulted in the formation of the hybrid zone in northeastern Europe. Our findings suggest that the climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene have driven an insect-plant co-evolutionary process, and have contributed to the formation of the unique biodiversity of Europe.

Simulation of rain enhances horizontal transmission of the microsporidium Nosema lymantriae via infective feces.

Larvae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, infected with the microsporidium, Nosema lymantriae, release infective spores with feces. We tested the effects of simulated light rain on transmission in cages, providing random contamination of host plant foliage with feces. Contamination by larvae in the intermediate stage of infection, 15-16days post inoculation, entailed transmission to a mean 4.4-16.7% of test larvae. Simulated rain significantly increased transmission to 30.0-57.3%. Transmission success significantly increased with disease progress. Experiments demonstrated that feces are a suitable source of spores and a likely transmission pathway in the field.

Effects of the ant Formica fusca on the transmission of microsporidia infecting gypsy moth larvae.

Transmission plays an integral part in the intimate relationship between a host insect and its pathogen that can be altered by abiotic or biotic factors. The latter include other pathogens, parasitoids, or predators. Ants are important species in food webs that act on various levels in a community structure. Their social behavior allows them to prey on and transport larger prey, or they can dismember the prey where it was found. Thereby they can also influence the horizontal transmission of a pathogen in its host's population. We tested the hypothesis that an ant species like Formica fusca L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) can affect the horizontal transmission of two microsporidian pathogens, Nosema lymantriae Weiser (Microsporidia: Nosematidae) and Vairimorpha disparis (Timofejeva) (Microsporidia: Burenellidae), infecting the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lymantriinae). Observational studies showed that uninfected and infected L. dispar larvae are potential prey items for F. fusca. Laboratory choice experiments led to the conclusion that F. fusca did not prefer L. dispar larvae infected with N. lymantriae and avoided L. dispar larvae infected with V. disparis over uninfected larvae when given the choice. Experiments carried out on small potted oak, Quercus petraea (Mattuschka) Liebl. (Fagaceae), saplings showed that predation of F. fusca on infected larvae did not significantly change the transmission of either microsporidian species to L. dispar test larvae. Microscopic examination indicated that F. fusca workers never became infected with N. lymantriae or V. disparis after feeding on infected prey.

Influence of the forest caterpillar hunter Calosoma sycophanta on the transmission of microsporidia in larvae of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar.

The behaviour of predators can be an important factor in the transmission success of an insect pathogen. We studied how Calosoma sycophanta influences the interaction between its prey [Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera, Lymantriidae)] and two microsporidian pathogens [Nosema lymantriae (Microsporidia, Nosematidae) and Vairimorpha disparis (Microsporidia, Burellenidae)] infecting the prey.Using laboratory experiments, C. sycophanta was allowed to forage on infected and uninfected L. dispar larvae and to disseminate microsporidian spores when preying or afterwards with faeces.The beetle disseminated spores of N. lymantriae and V. disparis when preying upon infected larvae, as well as after feeding on such prey. Between 45% and 69% of test larvae became infected when C. sycophanta was allowed to disseminate spores of either microsporidium.Laboratory choice experiments showed that C. sycophanta did not discriminate between Nosema-infected and uninfected gypsy moth larvae. Calosoma sycophanta preferred Vairimorpha-infected over uninfected gypsy moth larvae and significantly influenced transmission.When C. sycophanta was allowed to forage during the latent period on infected and uninfected larvae reared together on caged, potted oak saplings, the percentage of V. disparis infection among test larvae increased by more than 70%. The transmission of N. lymantriae was not affected significantly in these experiments.Beetles never became infected with either microsporidian species after feeding on infected prey.We conclude that the transmission of N. lymantriae is not affected. Because no V. disparis spores are released from living larvae, feeding on infected larvae might enhance transmission by reducing the time to death and therefore the latent period.

Reduced activity of juvenile hormone esterase in microsporidia-infected Lymantria dispar larvae.

Infection of the fat body of Lymantria dispar (Lep.: Lymantriinae) larvae with the microsporidium Vairimorpha disparis has severe effects on juvenile hormone (JH) metabolism of the host. Beginning 8 days postinfection, activity of the JH degrading enzyme JH-esterase was significantly lower in the hemolymph of infected than uninfected larvae. Activity remained low as microsporidiosis progressed. JH titers were slightly elevated in infected larvae; the difference was not significant in most cases. This disturbance of JH metabolism may be due to generally impaired fat body functions and high demand for resources by the developing pathogen.

Quantifying horizontal transmission of Nosema lymantriae, a microsporidian pathogen of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (Lep., Lymantriidae) in field cage studies.

Nosema lymantriae is a microsporidian pathogen of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar that has been documented to be at least partially responsible for the collapse of L. dispar outbreak populations in Europe. To quantify horizontal transmission of this pathogen under field conditions we performed caged-tree experiments that varied (1) the density of the pathogen through the introduction of laboratory-infected larvae, and (2) the total time that susceptible (test) larvae were exposed to these infected larvae. The time frame of the experiments extended from the early phase of colonization of the target tissues by the microsporidium to the onset of pathogen-induced mortality or pupation of test larvae. Upon termination of each experiment, the prevalence of infection in test larvae was evaluated. In the experiments performed over a range of pathogen densities, infection of test larvae increased with increasing density of inoculated larvae, from 14.2+/-3.5% at density of 10 inoculated per 100 larvae to 36.7+/-5.7% at 30 inoculated per 100 larvae. At higher densities, percent infection in test larvae appeared to level off (35.7+/-5.5% at 50 inoculated per 100 larvae). When larval exposure to the pathogen was varied, transmission of N. lymantriae did not occur within the first 15 d post-inoculation (dpi) (11 d post-exposure of test larvae to inoculated larvae). We found the first infected test larvae in samples taken 20dpi (16 d post-exposure). Transmission increased over time; in the cages sampled 25dpi (21 d post-exposure), Nosema prevalence in test larvae ranged from 20.6% to 39.2%.

Vertical transmission and overwintering of microsporidia in the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar.

Vertical transmission and the overwintering success of three different microsporidia infecting Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) larvae were investigated. Endoreticulatus schubergi, a midgut pathogen, was transmitted to offspring via female and male via the egg chorion (transovum transmission). Between 8% and 29% of the emerging larvae became infected. No spores of E. schubergi were found in surface-washed eggs. Nosema lymantriae, a microsporidium that causes systemic infections, was transovarially transmitted. Between 35% and 72% of the progeny were infected. Vairimorpha disparis, a fat body pathogen, was not vertically transmitted. The infectivity of spores that overwintered in cadavers of infected L. dispar varied by species, placement in the environment, and weather conditions. Spores of E. schubergi were still infective after an eight month exposure period of cadavers on the ground. Spores of N. lymantriae and V. disparis remained highly infective only when cadavers overwintered under a more or less continuous snow cover for four months.

Microsporidian infections in Lymantria dispar larvae: interactions and effects of multiple species infections on pathogen horizontal transmission.

The interactions in multiple species infections and effects on the horizontal transmission of three microsporidian species, Vairimorpha disparis, Nosema lymantriae and Endoreticulatus schubergi, infecting Lymantria dispar were evaluated in the laboratory. Simultaneous and sequential inoculations of host larvae were performed and the resulting infections were evaluated. Test larvae were exposed to the inoculated larvae to measure horizontal transmission. Dual species infections demonstrated interspecific competition between Nosema and Vairimorpha in the host larvae, but no observable competition occurred between Endoreticulatus and either of the other microsporidian species. Timing of inoculation was an important factor determining the outcome of competition between Nosema and Vairimorpha. The species inoculated first showed a higher rate of successful establishment; a time lag of 7 days between inoculations allowed the first species to essentially exclude the second. The microsporidia differed in efficiency of horizontal transmission. Nosema and Endoreticulatus were transmitted at very high rates, close to 100%. Horizontal transmission of Vairimorpha was less efficient, ranging from 25% to a maximum of 75%. The patterns of infection observed in inoculated larvae were reflected in the test larvae that acquired infections in the horizontal transmission experiments. Competition with Vairimorpha suppressed horizontal transmission of Nosema after simultaneous and sequential inoculation. In simultaneous inoculation experiments Endoreticulatus had no effect on transmission of Nosema and Vairimorpha.

Vairimorpha disparis n. comb. (Microsporidia: Burenellidae): a redescription and taxonomic revision of Thelohania disparis Timofejeva 1956, a microsporidian parasite of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae).

Investigation of pathogens of populations of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) in Central and Eastern Europe revealed the existence of a microsporidium (Fungi: Microsporidia) of the genus Vairimorpha. The parasite produced three spore morphotypes. Internally infective spores are formed in the gut and adjacent muscle and connective tissue; single diplokaryotic spores and monokaryotic spores grouped by eight in sporophorous vesicles develop in the fat body tissues. The small subunit rDNA gene sequences of various isolates of the Vairimorpha microsporidia, obtained from L. dispar in various habitats in the investigated region, revealed their mutual identity. In phylogenetic analyses, the organism clustered with other L. dispar microsporidia that form only diplokaryotic spores in the sporogony cycle. The octospores of certain microsporidia infecting Lepidoptera that were previously described as Thelohania spp., have recently been shown to be one of the several spore morphotypes produced by species in the genus Vairimorpha. Because the description and drawings of a parasite described as Thelohania disparis by Timofejeva fit the characteristics of Vairimorpha, and all octospore-producing microsporidia collected from L. dispar since 1985 are genetically identical Vairimorpha species, it is believed that the parasite characterized here is identical to T. disparis Timofejeva 1956, and is herein redescribed, characterized, and transferred to the genus Vairimorpha as the new combination Vairimorpha disparis n. comb.

Alterations in carbohydrate and fatty acid levels of Lymantria dispar larvae caused by a microsporidian infection and potential adverse effects on a co-occurring endoparasitoid, Glyptapanteles liparidis.

Infection of Lymantria dispar host larvae by the entomopathogenic microsporidium Vairimorpha sp. has a negative impact on the performance of the endoparasitic braconid Glyptapanteles liparidis. To investigate possible causes for this effect, we studied to what extent nutritional host suitability is altered by the microsporidium. Therefore, we analyzed carbohydrates and fatty acids in host larvae after Vairimorpha infection and/or parasitism by G. liparidis. Trehalose levels were significantly reduced in the hemolymph of infected hosts. After day five post infection, it was detected only in traces. Four to six days later, the glycogen resources were depleted in infected larvae. Parasitism by G. liparidis, on the other hand, led to increased hemolymph trehalose levels during the early endoparasitic phase but to a significant decrease at the end of its larval development. No effect of parasitism on the glycogen content was ascertained. Hemolymph levels of the fatty acids analyzed, such as palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acid, were significantly reduced in microsporidia-infected L. dispar. Vairimorpha sp. develops as an intracellular parasite in the fat body of the host larva and synthesis of trehalose and fatty acids may be disturbed. Moreover, microsporidia may also harness metabolites or energy produced by host cells. We conclude that the microsporidia-induced decrease in hemolymph carbohydrates and fatty acids adversely affects growth and development of parasitoid larvae.