Spatial co-colonization of the European woodwasp (Sirex noctilio) and native mortality agents at a pine plantation in the Adirondacks

The non-native European woodwasp (Sirex noctilio) has caused considerable economic damage in pine plantations in the Southern Hemisphere and has recently established in northeastern North America. In New York State, it is currently an innocuous forest insect pest and primarily attacks stressed or surpressed Scott's (Pinus sylvestris) and red pine (P. resinosa). A leading hypothesis for its limited success in the northeast is that direct and indirect interactions with native pine mortality agents negatively affect the population dynamics of S. noctilio.  Here, we model the spatial distribution and co-occurance of S. noctilio and native pine mortality agents at a plantation in the Adironacks over four years. We use species distribution models to test if S. noctilio occurs more or less frequently with co-colonizing Ips species, woodborers, and native fungi, Armillaria mellea and Heterobasidion annosum.