Bark beetle adaptations to climate and host define distribution and dynamics

Funding period: 2024-2028
Leads: Christopher I. Keeling, Katherine P. Bleiker
Total GRDI funding: $419,000

The objective of the project is to study the functional and comparative genomics and population genetics of mountain pine beetle (MPB), spruce beetle (SB), Douglas-fir beetle (DFB), and western balsam bark beetle (WBBB). The study will produce new information on the processes of diapause, cold tolerance, host colonization, and population structure in bark beetles. In the short term, this will improve the forecasting of bark beetle spread into new ranges and novel hosts with changing climate, including species of bark beetles not yet in Canada. It can inform policy on tree species to plant given climatic suitability of the beetle, and their tolerance to host defenses. Population data can also predict regional differences in semiochemical-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) efficacy. In the long term, tree breeders will have a better understanding of the processes of host defense tolerance by bark beetles, necessary for selecting trees with a robust resistance to insect pests.