Research
Range expansion of bark beetles in the genus Ips (ECLIPSE)
Research Status:current
First evidence of breeding by Ips typographus in the United Kingdom and expansion of Ips amitinus in Scandinavia, Ips duplicatus in central Europe and Ips cembrae in Great Britain and western/northern Europe suggests that factors that previously limited or moderated range expansion may be changing. This project will assess the biotic, abiotic, climatic and human-linked factors that could be driving these changes in ecology and distribution of this important group of forest pests.
The main objectives of the project are:
• To identify and analyse key factors determining the spread and breeding success of Ips bark beetles
• To investigate historic and ongoing changes in forest structure to assess beetle success in establishment and population expansion
• To investigate the potential role of climate change as a co-factor in enabling the beetles to gain a foothold in new locations that were previously considered to be climatically limiting
• To consolidate the range of factors into a risk matrix that is geographically linked to previous and new ranges of bark beetles in the genus Ips
The ECLIPSE project will meet at ULB, Brussels in November 2022 to discuss the findings of literature review and field observations and experiments. A consolidated review paper will be drafted and, following a presentation at the Forest Protection Colloquium in Vienna in March 2023, the project members will finalise the review process and plan field assessments for 2023.
FR leads this Euphresco project which involves partners from Belgium, Ireland (Republic and Northern Ireland), Norway, Slovak Republic and Sweden. The UK funding is provided by Defra.
Research Fellow