A groundbreaking study from the University of Alberta has revealed how fungi living inside white spruce trees form a natural alliance with their hosts to fend off the devastating effects of spruce budworm infestations. The research offers promising insight into how these hidden allies could be used to strengthen forest health and resilience.
The research team, led by forest entomologist and professor Nadir Erbilgin from the university’s Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, has demonstrated that fungal endophytes—micro-organisms living within spruce needles—play a crucial defensive role. These fungi help the trees protect themselves by enhancing their chemical defenses and producing toxic compounds that deter or even kill eastern spruce budworm larvae.
“This work is a major step forward in understanding how natural pest resistance operates in conifer trees like the white spruce,” said Erbilgin. “It’s like discovering that trees have secret allies working behind the scenes.”
The study was spearheaded by PhD candidate Aziz Ullah, who investigated how these endophytes interact with their host trees. By collecting spruce needles, identifying fungal species through DNA sequencing, and growing select fungi in laboratory conditions, the researchers were able to isolate key endophytes. They then inoculated white spruce seedlings with a fungal blend to observe any changes in the trees’ chemical defenses.
The findings were clear: not only did the endophytes strengthen the trees’ production of terpenes—natural compounds known to fend off insects—but they also produced their own toxins. Some were released through the fungi’s tissue, others through volatile organic compounds, directly targeting the budworm larvae.
This confirmed what the team coined the Plant Partnership Hypothesis: the idea that fungi and trees have evolved to mutually benefit one another. While the fungi receive shelter and nutrients, they help their hosts survive by repelling insect attacks. “We’ve shown these endophytes aren’t just passive passengers,” Ullah noted. “They’ve co-evolved with the trees in a shared fight for survival.”
Professor Erbilgin emphasized that this discovery could significantly influence the forestry industry by enabling more sustainable pest control strategies. Instead of heavy reliance on chemical pesticides, researchers and forest managers could harness these natural fungal partners to protect trees more effectively.
The implications go beyond white spruce. The University of Alberta team is now exploring similar protective relationships in lodgepole pine trees to combat mountain pine beetle infestations, a threat to forests across western Canada.
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