What causes oak trees to develop galls and how do they benefit the gall wasp?

In summary, the Gall Wasp induces Oak trees to produce galls that resemble tumors. These galls are filled with chemicals that interfere with cell division and cell differentiation, similar to the chemicals that are excreted by Witches Brooms.
  • #1
Jimster41
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How does the Gall Wasp get an Oak tree to make these?
http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/galls-oak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_wasp

I am not able to find anything other than "induced by chemicals secreted by the wasp" more or less. I have been looking at these over the last six months. They seem to be manipulations of the tree's leaf growth mechanism to make an incubator - Is it interfering at the genetic level? The galls receive/steal nutrient from the tree in a way that seems similar to a cancer. Is it in effect an intentionally induced and controlled tumor that an insect has evolved specifically tuned to control the growth mechanism of a form of life from an entirely different kingdom? Do we understand this chemistry? I collected these in the woods near home - cut a couple open to see the larval wasp. The large brown ones are mature the wasp exited through a little pin hole. I mean wtf? The structure in them is amazing. Totally different geometric path compared to a leaf.

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  • #2
Google Agrobacterium tumifaciens - it is a bacterium that induces local cells to produce auxins and cytokinins - out of place. Normally the plant hormones control new tissue differentiation. Tissue differentiation gets completely screwed up by the wrong timing and amounts of the hormones. So what should you expect would be the chemicals excreted by the wasp? Chemicals that imitate or are identical to the plant hormones.

They interfere with cell division/cell differentiation.

Look up witches broom - it is both timely (Halloweeen) and very interesting. Most galls and other wierdnesses on hardwood tree species are the result of anomalous growth. In this case a virus is the bad guy.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00765.x/abstract
 
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1. What is an Oak Gall Wasp?

The Oak Gall Wasp (also known as the Cynipidae family) is a type of small, parasitic wasp that lays its eggs on the stems of oak trees.

2. How does the Oak Gall Wasp create galls on oak trees?

The female Oak Gall Wasp injects a chemical into the oak tree's stem, which causes the tree to produce abnormal growths known as galls. These galls provide shelter and nutrients for the developing wasp larvae.

3. Why do Oak Gall Wasps create galls?

The galls created by Oak Gall Wasps serve as a protective environment for the wasp larvae to develop and feed on the surrounding tissue. It also provides shelter from predators and environmental factors.

4. Are Oak Gall Wasps harmful to oak trees?

While the galls created by Oak Gall Wasps may look unsightly, they do not cause any significant harm to the overall health of oak trees. In fact, they can often be seen as a natural part of the oak tree's life cycle.

5. Can Oak Gall Wasps be controlled or eradicated?

Since Oak Gall Wasps are a natural part of the ecosystem, it is not recommended to try and control or eradicate them. Additionally, the chemical used to create galls is difficult to target without harming other beneficial insects. It is best to let nature take its course with Oak Gall Wasps.

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