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Reproductive Success Of Mountain Pine Beetle Infesting Cut Bolts Of Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, Limber Pine, And Lodgepole Pine, Barbara J. Bentz, Karen E. Mock, Erika L. Eidson

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The preference-performance hypothesis states that ovipositing phytophagous insects will select host plants that are well-suited for their offspring and avoid host plants that do not support offspring performance (survival, development and fitness). The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), a native insect herbivore in western North America, can successfully attack and reproduce in most species of Pinus throughout its native range. However, mountain pine beetles avoid attacking Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva), despite recent climate-driven increases in mountain pine beetle populations at the high elevations where Great Basin bristlecone pine grows. Low preference for a potential host plant species may …