Testing ecological interactions between Gnomoniopsis castaneae and Dryocosmus kuriphilus

摘要: Abstract An emerging nut rot of chestnut caused by the fungus Gnomoniopsis castaneae was reported soon after invasion exotic gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus in Italy. The goal this work to assess association between spread fungal pathogen and infestation pest testing if: I) viable inoculum G. castaneae can be carried adults D. kuriphilus ; II) colonization is related number inhabiting galls; III) buds oviposition are associated. Fungal isolations PCR-based molecular assays were performed on 323 galls their adults, whose compared colonized not . To test oviposition, Monte Carlo simulations assuming different scenarios ecological interactions out validated through isolation trials 597 688 collected before respectively. Although DNA detected a sample 40% developed galls, could never isolated from insects, suggesting that an unlikely vector inoculum. On average, significantly more abundant than ones (3.76 vs. 2.54, P  implying no interaction confirmed as most likely. In fact, present 33.8% while (odds ratio 0.98, 0.71–1.33 95% CI). These findings suggest fungus/pest synergy asymmetrically favorable occurs oviposition.