Preparing for invasion: Rust resistance in limber, Great Basin bristlecone, and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines

Abstract

Rocky Mountain (RM) bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata), Great Basin (GB) bristlecone pine (P. longaeva), and limber pine (P. flexilis) are high-elevation five-needle pines threatened by the non-native pathogen Cronartium ribicola that causes the disease white pine blister rust (WPBR). The pathogen continues to spread, and the infection front is now in the southern Rocky Mountains and Great Basin. WPBR is increasing in these areas on limber pine and RM bristlecone pine as well as whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis); WPBR has not yet been documented on GB bristlecone in its native range. Because many of these populations are still healthy, they offer opportunities to assess baseline frequencies of WPBR resistance traits in largely naïve populations and to make comparisons among host species (Schoettle et al. 2012). Information on genetic resistance traits and their frequencies also supports development of proactive interventions to increase the frequency of resistance in populations before pathogen invasion, to mitigate future impacts and sustain ecosystem function during pathogen naturalization (Burns et al. 2008; Schoettle and Sniezko 2007; Schoettle et al. 2019a, b).

Citation

Schoettle, Anna W.; Kegley, Angelia; Sniezko, Richard A.; Burns, Kelly S.; Vogler, Detlev; Bovin, Phyllis Pineda; Baker, Gretchen. 2022. Preparing for invasion: Rust resistance in limber, Great Basin bristlecone, and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines. In: Murray, M. P.; Smith, C. M.; McKinney, S. T.; Achuff, P. L. Research and Management of High-Elevation Five-Needle Pines in Western North America: Proceedings of the Second High-Five Conference; 5-7 October 2021. Arcata, CA: The Press at Cal Poly Humboldt. p. 77-80. Online: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/h5ii/9/.