Author : Josie Hughes
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780662444404
Total Pages : 53 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (444 download)
Book Synopsis Modeling the Effect of Landscape Pattern on Mountain Pine Beetles by : Josie Hughes
Download or read book Modeling the Effect of Landscape Pattern on Mountain Pine Beetles written by Josie Hughes and published by . This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite ecological and management importance, little is known about the effect of forest landscape structure on the spread of mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins). The general prediction from published literature is that forest fragmentation at some scale might slow the spread of infestations. However, mountain pine beetle dispersal ecology is complicated by requirement for attack en masse and a pheromone-based communication system that facilitates this aggregation process. One interesting possibility is that infestations might spread more slowly over habitat gaps across which beetles cannot communicate. To investigate this possibility, the authors developed an individual-based model of mountain pine beetle dispersal, aggregation and attack, and performed simulation experiments to explore the effects of habitat patch size, habitat compaction, communication distance, and flight behaviour on the spread rate and final extent of infestations.