The pine beetle burrows into the trunk of the tree, effectively starving the tree to death. In BC, 50 per cent of the mature pine will be dead by 2008 and 80 per cent by 2013. Apparently, the warmer summers and winters are disrupting the normal cycle of pine beetles in this province.
from http://mpb.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.html
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_beetle
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2.) In the 1950s the Panama disease wiped out the Gros Michel strain of banana previously used for export. This was when the search began for a reliable banana and the Cavendish was spotted in Vietnam. It was believed that the Cavendish would be resistant to the Panama disease, however Sumatra and Malaysia suggest otherwise. Because cultivated bananas are spread by conventional vegetative reproduction rather than through sexual reproduction, the Cavendish plants are genetically identical and cannot evolve disease resistance.
(Another additional tidbit of information is that the Panama disease is also called Agent Green. The United States government was involved in a controversial program to use Fusarium oxysporum for the eradication of coca in Colombia and other Andean countries, but these plans were cancelled by president Bill Clinton who was concerned that the unilateral use of a biological agent would be perceived by the rest of the world as biological warfare.)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_disease
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavendish_banana
(Yes, I'm wondering about diversification and the fun that it invokes.)
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3.) What is a conjugal partner? Don't worry, we know!:
http://www.entercanada.ca/blog/2007/09/conjugal-partners.html
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