Zhao, TaoKandasamy, DineshkumarKrokene, PaalChen, JingyuanGershenzon, JonathanHammerbacher, Almuth2019-02-212019-04Zhao, T., Kandasamy, D., Krokene, P. et al. 2018, 'Fungal associates of the tree-killing bark beetle, Ips typographus, vary in virulence, ability to degrade conifer phenolics and influence bark beetle tunneling behavior', Fungal Ecology, vol. 38, pp. 71-79.1754-5048 (print)1878-0083 (online)10.1016/j.funeco.2018.06.003http://hdl.handle.net/2263/68498The bark beetle Ips typographus carries numerous fungi that could be assisting the beetle in colonizing live Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees. Phenolic defenses in spruce phloem are degraded by the beetle's major tree-killing fungus Endoconidiophora polonica, but it is unknown if other beetle associates can also catabolize these compounds. We compared the ability of five fungi commonly associated with I. typographus to degrade phenolic compounds in Norway spruce phloem. Grosmannia penicillata and Grosmannia europhioides were able to degrade stilbenes and flavonoids faster than E. polonica and grow on minimal growth medium with spruce bark constituents as the only nutrients. Furthermore, beetles avoided medium amended with phenolics but marginally preferred medium colonized by fungi. Taken together our results show that different bark beetle-associated fungi have complementary roles in degrading host metabolites and thus might improve this insect's persistence in well defended host tissues.en© 2018 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Fungal Ecology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. A definitive version was subsequently published in Fungal Ecology, vol. 38, pp. 71-79, 2019. doi : 10.1016/j.funeco.2018.06.003.Complementary rolesDetoxificationEndoconidiophoraFungal symbiontsGrosmanniaIps typographusOphiostomaPhenolic defensesPostprint Article