ISEFOR

Project description

Against Invasive Pests and Pathogens under Climate Change
ISEFOR is a Collaborative project under the 7. Framework Programme, Research theme “Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology”.

Project goals

The scientific objectives of the project are:

• Defining the types of threats likely to impact on European forest ecosystems, based on current knowledge of the pest and pathogen organisms known as potentially invasive, and the host genera attacked by these organisms;
• The development, in conjunction with other EU-funded projects on parallel themes (e.g. PRATIQUE; QBOL), of state-of-the-art molecular systems for the detection and diagnosis of potentially problematic organisms at ports of entry, and along pathways of dispersal;
• To critically analyse plant nursery trade, the probable major pathway for dispersal of alien pests and pathogens, the plant nursery trade, so that a quantified approach may be used to draw up generic pest risk assessments for this pathway, propose an ISPM for plants for planting, and determine if post-entry quarantine for commodities within this pathway provides an effective step for reducing risks linked to cryptic or dormant pest organisms;
• Using the data obtained in the work outlined above to develop modelling software allowing the accurate prediction of the spread and impacts of alien pathogens which may become invasive under climate change conditions;

Moreover, the project includes substantial dissemination plans for the transfer of knowledge and
techniques developed to the end-user community. It is expected that in the short term, the work will provide the plant health surveillance community with highly valuable and relevant diagnostic tools, readily useful for both fundamental and applied aspects of these important alien threats. This project will provide significant information on the potential of known quarantine organisms to cause damage in European forest ecosystems under climate change scenarios, and hence give the quarantine authorities additional ammunition for tackling increasing risks and threats from alien pests and pathogens. In addition, we expect to identify further potentially invasive pests and pathogens threatening the functioning of European forest ecosystems.

The main outcomes of this project will be:

• Databases of the alien invasive pests and pathogens threatening European forest productivity, and an information set on the biology and epidemiology of these organisms;
• Improved abilities to detect and diagnose alien invasive pests and pathogens at points of entry, at strategic points along pathways of invasion and in affected trees, based on state-of-the-art molecular techniques;
• Detailed information on the major pathway for regional, national and international spread of potentially invasive pests and pathogens;
• Modelling software enabling potential and likely spread and impacts of alien invasive pests and pathogens in European forests within different climatic zones to be estimated;
• Models to predict the potential effects of climate change on the invasive potentials and impacts of alien pests and pathogens;
• Production of risk maps for key potentially invasive pests and pathogens in European forests under various climate change scenarios.

Additional outcomes will include relevant publications and other dissemination of knowledge on the importance of, detection and diagnosis of alien invasive plant pathogens, and the potential of these organisms to cause damage in European forest ecosystems under climate change.

Characteristics of the project

European forests are under unprecedented threat from the combined forces of climate change and large increases in the numbers of alien invasive pests and pathogens resulting from changes in patterns of global trade. Interactions between climate change, including likely changes in both mean temperatures and precipitation, will have serious impacts on the susceptibility of forest ecosystems to damage by pests and pathogens, and a large number of novel, unprecedented forest health problems are likely to occur in the near future. These problems will lead to reductions in primary production, with consequent losses in yields, biodiversity and other multi-functional roles of forests. Local extinctions of highly susceptible plant species may also result. The ISEFOR project will address these problems through: 1) the identification of key groups of potentially invasive alien organisms, 2) the development of accurate, state-of-the art diagnostic methods to detect and quantify both known and unknown threats, 3) an in depth analysis of the plant nursery trade, the major poorly controlled pathway for distribution of alien pests and pathogens, and 4) through the development of modelling software enabling the prediction of geographical areas at risk of attack by alien invasive pests and pathogens under climate change scenarios. The efficacy of the ISEFOR project will be enhanced through the use of the recently developed large databases of alien pest and pathogen threats, and interfacing with other EU-funded projects dealing with plant health issues. Results will be directed to the national plant protection organisations through targeted workshops.

Scope of IBL participation

Forest Research Institute participates in the project by carried on works in following Workpackages:

• Workpackage 1 – Project Management
• Workpackage 3 – Detection and development of diagnostics methods
• Workpackage 5 – Pathways of invasion
• Workpackage 6 – Dissemination

Project contractors

Dr Justyna Nowakowska, Assoc. Prof. (coordinator)
Dr Tomasz Oszako, Assoc. Prof.
Dr Lidia Sukovata, Assoc. Prof.
MSc Katarzyna Gąszczyk, Eng.
Dr Tomasz Jaworski, Eng.
Jolanta Bieniek

Partners

*K – koordynator, P – partner