Pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) bark feeding reduces root carbohydrates without broad metabolic changes in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings
Abstract
Key messagePine weevil feeding on bark reduced root carbohydrate concentrations in Scots pine seedlings, while no changes were detected in needle phenolics or non-volatile metabolomic profiles after seven days.ContextThe large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) is a major bark-feeding pest of conifer seedlings in Europe. Pine weevil feeding has been shown to induce systemic volatile emissions from undamaged shoots, raising the question of whether bark feeding also affects whole-plant carbon allocation and systemic chemical responses.AimsWe investigated how pine weevil feeding affects organ-specific compounds from primary and secondary metabolism in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings and whether these responses differed between two local provenances.MethodsSoluble sugars were quantified in roots and needles to assess organ-specific changes in carbohydrate status. Phenolic compounds and non-volatile metabolomic profiles were analyzed in needles to evaluate systemic chemical responses after seven days of pine weevil feeding. Stem damage was quantified, and treatment and provenance effects were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models.ResultsPine weevil feeding significantly reduced soluble carbohydrate concentrations in roots but not in needles. No treatment effect was detected for total needle phenolic concentrations, although ferulic acid decreased following pine weevil feeding. Non-volatile metabolomic profiles showed no clear separation between damaged and control seedlings.ConclusionPine weevil feeding decreased carbohydrate levels in roots but did not induce detectable changes in secondary metabolites in the two tested provenances.
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BibTeX
@article{dvorakova2026pine,
title = {{Pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) bark feeding reduces root carbohydrates without broad metabolic changes in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings}},
author = {Barbora Dvořáková and Jaroslav Holuša and Jaroslav Čepl and Alina Kalyniukova and Jaromír Hradecký and Jan Stejskal},
journal = {Annals of Forest Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s13595-026-01369-z},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05793436v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) bark feeding reduces root carbohydrates without broad metabolic changes in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings
AU - Barbora Dvořáková
AU - Jaroslav Holuša
AU - Jaroslav Čepl
AU - Alina Kalyniukova
AU - Jaromír Hradecký
AU - Jan Stejskal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Annals of Forest Science
DO - 10.1186/s13595-026-01369-z
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05793436v1
AB - Key messagePine weevil feeding on bark reduced root carbohydrate concentrations in Scots pine seedlings, while no changes were detected in needle phenolics or non-volatile metabolomic profiles after seven days.ContextThe large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) is a major bark-feeding pest of conifer seedlings in Europe. Pine weevil feeding has been shown to induce systemic volatile emissions from undamaged shoots, raising the question of whether bark feeding also affects whole-plant carbon allocation and systemic chemical responses.AimsWe investigated how pine weevil feeding affects organ-specific compounds from primary and secondary metabolism in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings and whether these responses differed between two local provenances.MethodsSoluble sugars were quantified in roots and needles to assess organ-specific changes in carbohydrate status. Phenolic compounds and non-volatile metabolomic profiles were analyzed in needles to evaluate systemic chemical responses after seven days of pine weevil feeding. Stem damage was quantified, and treatment and provenance effects were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models.ResultsPine weevil feeding significantly reduced soluble carbohydrate concentrations in roots but not in needles. No treatment effect was detected for total needle phenolic concentrations, although ferulic acid decreased following pine weevil feeding. Non-volatile metabolomic profiles showed no clear separation between damaged and control seedlings.ConclusionPine weevil feeding decreased carbohydrate levels in roots but did not induce detectable changes in secondary metabolites in the two tested provenances.
SN - 1286-4560
SN - 1297-966X
ER -