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When one is not necessarily a lonely number: initial colonization dynamics of Adelges tsugae on eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis

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Abstract

The ability to establish successfully in a new area can vary considerably among species. In addition to the well-recognized importance of propagule pressure in driving the rates of establishment of biological invaders, the life history strategy of a species can also affect establishment success, such as in the extent to which Allee effects (positive density-dependence), and environmental and demographic stochasticity manifest themselves. We quantified the establishment success of Adelges tsugae, a non-native insect currently invading North American hemlock. We inoculated eastern hemlock host trees with varying densities of this parthenogenetic insect, from 1 to >500 progrediens ovisacs. The number of settled sistens (the subsequent generation) was positively related to the initial density. More interesting, however, was that we recorded successful establishment from released progrediens ovisacs, and the subsequent initiation of the next generation (sistens), in ≈39 % of host trees inoculated with 1 ovisac. The observation that successful establishment can be accomplished by a single ovisac produced by a single individual has important implications in the invasion dynamics and management of A. tsugae.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Laura Blackburn, Terry Burhans, Will Harris, John Juracko, Gino Luzader, Dani Martin, Adam Miller, George Racin, Brian Simpson, Elliott Tobin, and Lindsay Wolf for valuable field and laboratory assistance. We thank John and Judy Stewart for the use of their farm. We are also very grateful to Joe Elkinton (University of Massachusetts) and Mike Montgomery (USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, retired) who provided helpful advice during the initial planning stages of this study. Nathan Havill and Sandy Liebhold (USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station) provided helpful comments on an earlier draft.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Northern Research Station, Morgantown, WV, 26505-3101, USA

    Patrick C. Tobin

  2. Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, State and Private Forestry, Northeastern Area, Morgantown, WV, 26505-3101, USA

    Richard M. Turcotte & Daniel A. Snider

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  1. Patrick C. Tobin
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  2. Richard M. Turcotte
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  3. Daniel A. Snider
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Correspondence to Patrick C. Tobin.

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This work is dedicated to our dear friend and colleague, Dan Snider, who tragically passed away prior to the completion of this paper.

Daniel A. Snider: Deceased.

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Tobin, P.C., Turcotte, R.M. & Snider, D.A. When one is not necessarily a lonely number: initial colonization dynamics of Adelges tsugae on eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis . Biol Invasions 15, 1925–1932 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-013-0421-3

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