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# GTBOP Moodle Matching Exercises

## Understanding Tree Pests: Disease Interactions, Invasive Threats, and Management Strategies

### Dr. Ignazio Graziosi — January 15, 2026

Source: Corrected SRT transcript (Stage 1) + Archive Package (Stage 2) Exercises: 3 Total pairs: 26 (8 + 8 + 10)

### Matching Exercise 1: Pest Ecology and Interaction Scenarios

Timestamp Reference: 7:22 – 42:25 (spans all three case studies) Type: Species ID / Ecological Scenario

Instructions: Match each pest in Column A with the correct ecological description from Column B. Two items in Column B are distractors and will not be used.

# | Column A |  | Column B
--- | --- | --- | ---
1 | Emerald ash borer (EAB) |  | a) Non-native pest attacking non-native host; overlapping generations complicate control; trunk injection ineffective
2 | Crapemyrtle bark scale (CMBS) |  | b) Native pest of native trees; clonal urban plantings increase vulnerability; late-season damage less harmful
3 | Orange-striped oakworm moth |  | c) Non-native pest attacking native host; co-evolved natural enemies in Asia keep populations low; firewood spread primary pathway
4 | EAB parasitoid wasps (from Asia) |  | d) Generalist predators that arrive late in season; do not maintain sustained populations on host trees
5 | Lady beetles (twice-stabbed, bigeminal, Harlequin) |  | e) Specialist biological control agents introduced by USDA; attack only their target pest; two species target larvae, one targets eggs
6 | Green lacewing |  | f) Non-native pest of native pines; larvae create pitch tubes on trunk
7 | White fringetree |  | g) Commercially available predator of CMBS; larvae are the most voracious stage; adults need sugar to feed; requires multiple releases per season
8 | Blue ash |  | h) Alternate host in family Oleaceae; serves as population reservoir for EAB even after ash trees are gone
|  |  | i) Native ash species showing some resistance to EAB; will die eventually but takes much longer than other ash species
|  |  | j) Native parasitoid that specializes exclusively on CMBS in North America

Answer Key: 1 → c, 2 → a, 3 → b, 4 → e, 5 → d, 6 → g, 7 → h, 8 → i

Distractors: f (no pine pest discussed), j (Dr. Graziosi stated no effective specialist parasitoid for CMBS has been found in the US)

Source in transcript: EAB section ~7:22–29:40; CMBS section ~29:42–42:25; Oakworm section ~42:25–49:19

### Matching Exercise 2: Control Methods by Pest

Timestamp Reference: 22:34 – 49:05 (control discussions across all three case studies) Type: Timing-Practice

Instructions: Match each control method or strategy in Column A with the correct pest and application detail from Column B. Two items in Column B are distractors and will not be used.

# | Column A |  | Column B
--- | --- | --- | ---
1 | Soil drench for EAB |  | a) Target young larvae (early instars); minimal impact on natural enemies; often requires reapplication
2 | Tree injection for EAB |  | b) Apply in spring before leaves emerge
3 | Trunk injection for CMBS |  | c) Requires professional applicator; effective delivery method for systemic insecticides into ash
4 | Soil drench / soil injection for CMBS |  | d) Not a viable option — crapemyrtle absorbs systemic insecticides through the trunk very slowly
5 | Foliar soaps for CMBS |  | e) Recommended chemical methods; multiple products and brand names available
6 | Btk foliar spray for oakworm |  | f) Used to target crawlers (young mobile nymphs)
7 | Importation biological control for EAB |  | g) Specialist parasitoid wasps from Asia introduced after USDA risk assessment; attack larvae and eggs
8 | "Don't Move Firewood" campaign |  | h) Prevention strategy resulting from EAB invasion; also helps contain Asian longhorned beetle
|  |  | i) Apply systemic insecticide in late fall after leaves drop for maximum CMBS uptake
|  |  | j) Biological control using native generalist predators that fully suppress EAB without chemical assistance

Answer Key: 1 → b, 2 → c, 3 → d, 4 → e, 5 → f, 6 → a, 7 → g, 8 → h

Distractors: i (no fall application timing was described for CMBS soil treatment), j (Dr. Graziosi stated native natural enemies alone are not enough for EAB and biological control has not been fully successful yet)

Source in transcript: EAB chemical control ~22:34–23:42; EAB biocontrol ~23:57–27:30; CMBS chemical control ~37:28–38:30; CMBS biocontrol ~38:31–41:44; Oakworm control ~47:56–49:05; Firewood ~13:02–13:46

### Matching Exercise 3: Spiral of Tree Decline and Disease Triangle Concepts

Timestamp Reference: 1:28 – 6:06 (framework), applied throughout presentation Type: Timing-Practice / Concept Application

Instructions: Match each factor or concept in Column A with its correct classification or description from Column B as presented by Dr. Graziosi. Two items in Column B are distractors and will not be used.

# | Column A |  | Column B
--- | --- | --- | ---
1 | Soil compaction |  | a) Inciting factor in the spiral of tree decline
2 | Defoliating insects |  | b) Predisposing factor; described as "often the number one issue for many trees"
3 | Wood-boring insects |  | c) Contributing factor in the innermost spiral
4 | Armillaria |  | d) Contributing factor; a fungal genus in the innermost spiral
5 | Genetic potential of the tree |  | e) Predisposing factor in the outermost spiral
6 | Drought |  | f) The outcome at the center of the spiral diagram
7 | Urban environment stress |  | g) Predisposing factor; described as stressful for the tree
8 | Nematodes |  | h) Contributing factor listed alongside wood-boring insects and fungi
9 | Death of the tree |  | i) Inciting factor alongside defoliating insects
10 | Urban heat island effect |  | j) Stresses trees (increasing susceptibility) and accelerates insect development simultaneously
|  |  | k) A predisposing factor that only affects conifers
|  |  | l) An inciting factor that primarily affects root systems of aquatic plants

Answer Key: 1 → b, 2 → a, 3 → c, 4 → d, 5 → e, 6 → i, 7 → g, 8 → h, 9 → f, 10 → j

Distractors: k (no conifer-specific predisposing factor discussed), l (no aquatic plant context discussed)

Source in transcript: Spiral of decline ~3:02–6:06, blocks 40–68; Urban heat island ~36:42–37:21, blocks 363–368

## Verification Checklist

- [x] All terms, definitions, and relationships derived directly from the presentation
- [x] No general textbook knowledge used — only speaker's content
- [x] Matching items unambiguous based on presentation content
- [x] Each exercise includes 2 plausible distractors
- [x] Timestamp references verified against corrected transcript
- [x] Answer keys correct and unambiguous per speaker's statements
- [x] Coverage spans all major presentation sections