The mountain pine beetle is a devastating pest of pine forests in the west coast of North America. The beetle will bore into and kill healthy trees, much like the Emerald Ash Borer that has recently been detected in Texas. In this episode, we explore how one tree species, the bristlecone pine, is able to defend against the mountain pine beetle.

Full citation of article discussed:

Bentz, B.J., Hood, S.M., Hansen, E.M., Vandygriff, J.C. and Mock, K.E. (2017), Defense traits in the long‐lived Great Basin bristlecone pine and resistance to the native herbivore mountain pine beetle. New Phytol, 213: 611-624. doi:10.1111/nph.14191