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Are bark beetle outbreaks less synchronous than forest Lepidoptera outbreaks?
Bjørn Økland1, Andrew M Liebhold, Ottar N Bjørnstad
1Norwegian Forest Research Institute, Høgskoleveien 8, 1432 As, Norway. bjorn.okland@skogforsk.no
Oecologia
|September 10, 2005
Summary
Spatial synchrony in bark beetle outbreaks varied, with Ips typographus showing higher synchrony. Bark beetles generally displayed lower spatial synchrony than Lepidoptera, suggesting differing environmental drivers and population dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Forest Science
Background:
- Intraspecific spatial synchrony is key to understanding insect population dynamics at large scales.
- Comparing multiple epidemic insect species aids in identifying major determinants of these patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare spatial synchrony patterns in six epidemic bark beetle species across North America and Europe.
- To contrast spatial synchrony in bark beetles with that of defoliating forest Lepidoptera.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of spatial synchrony in outbreaks of six bark beetle species.
- Comparison of bark beetle synchrony data with published Lepidoptera outbreak data.
Main Results:
- The Eurasian spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) exhibited significantly higher spatial synchrony than other studied bark beetle species.
- Epidemic bark beetles generally showed lower spatial synchrony compared to defoliating forest Lepidoptera.
Conclusions:
- Differences in synchrony may stem from bark beetles being influenced by smaller-scale weather variables compared to Lepidoptera.
- Inherent differences in population dynamics, potentially leading to more cyclic oscillations in Lepidoptera, could explain the observed synchrony disparities.