Renowned Scientific Award for a Thesis on the Oak Pinhole Borer

Marcel Hugo Decker has been awarded the prestigious Förderpreis der Ingrid Weiss / Horst Wiehe Stiftung for his thesis titled „Eine Übersicht zur Biologie, entopischen Historie und Waldschutzsituation des Ambrosiakäfers Platypus cylindrus (Fabricius, 1792) (Eichenkernkäfer) sowie einer experimentellen Untersuchung seiner Pilzsymbionten auf autochthonen und allochthonen Holzsubstraten.” The award is presented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie (DGaaE) for an outstanding scientific work on a purely entomological topic. Since the prize primarily recognizes research up to the habilitation or dissertation level, awarding it to a bachelor’s thesis is a rare distinction.

The honored thesis was completed in 2023 at the Chair of Forest Entomology and Forest Protection at the University of Freiburg and provides a comprehensive analysis of the biology, history, and forestry significance of the oak pinhole borer. In addition to an in-depth review of the current state of knowledge regarding the beetle’s life cycle and ecological role, the study also examined its evolutionary position within ambrosia beetles as well as its historical and recent impacts on forestry. Complementing this literature review, experimental studies were conducted on the growth rate of its fungal symbiont on various wood substrates. Furthermore, the earliest recorded flight period in Freiburg in 2023 was documented and attempts to breed the beetle under laboratory conditions were carried out. The results provide new insights into the host specificity of the beetle, the climatic influences on its flight behavior, and the challenges of controlled breeding in laboratory settings.