Data characterizing symbiosis between the alder bark beetle and Neonectria bordenii

This dataset describes a symbiosis between the alder bark beetle, Alniphagus aspericollis, and Neonectria bordenii in red alder, Alnus rubra. These data were used to assess tree-killing by the alder bark beetle (i.e., beetle colonization status in relation to red alder condition) and the ability of the alder bark beetle to vector N. bordenii among host red alders (evaluated according to Leach’s postulates). Data were collected from five sites in southwestern British Columbia, Canada.

Methods
Data for assessing the ability of the alder bark beetle to kill trees were collected from 400 m2 fixed-area plots. Data for evaluating, according to Leach’s postulates, the ability of the alder bark beetle to vector (i.e., carry and transmit) Neonectria bordenii were obtained from emergent beetles and infected phloem tissues in the field and laboratory. Neonectria bordenii was detected via culturing from the exoskeletons of beetles and applying a qPCR assay to individual beetle DNA extractions.