The ship-timber beetle symbiosis: how a symbiotic fungus ensures the survival of its host in the wood of dead trees

The ship-timber beetle (Elateroides dermestoides), one of the largest European ambrosia beetle species, lives solitarily in the sapwood of weakened and dead trees. Its larvae spend up to two years in long tunnels, living in symbiosis with the mutualistic fungal symbiont Alloascoidea hylecoeti, which is passed on by females. This fungus provides essential nutrients and effectively protects against competing fungi by accumulating phenolic substances and excreting antimicrobial monoterpene alcohols as well as acetic acid. This facilitates the survival of the larvae in this nutrient-poor habitat.