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Insect responses to major landscape-level disturbance
1Entomology Department, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA. tschowalter@agcenter.lsu.edu
Annual Review of Entomology
|September 6, 2011
Summary
Ecological disturbances reshape habitats, impacting species survival and insect outbreaks. Understanding these dynamics is key to predicting population changes and ecosystem shifts.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Disturbances are abrupt environmental events altering habitats and resource availability.
- Terrestrial landscapes exhibit a mosaic of patches with varying disturbance and recovery histories.
- Species responses to disturbances depend on their tolerance to extreme conditions and altered post-disturbance environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how species tolerate and respond to ecological disturbances.
- To investigate the role of disturbances in triggering herbivorous insect outbreaks.
- To enhance predictions of population dynamics and ecosystem changes.
Main Methods:
- The study synthesizes existing ecological research on disturbance regimes.
- It analyzes species' tolerance thresholds during and after disturbances.
- It examines the link between host availability, predation, and insect population dynamics.
Main Results:
- Species intolerant to disturbances may face local extinction.
- Some species benefit from new habitat or resources created by disturbances.
- Disturbances can trigger herbivorous insect outbreaks by increasing host abundance or stress and reducing predation.
Conclusions:
- Understanding species' disturbance tolerances is crucial for conservation.
- Insect outbreaks following disturbances can further alter ecosystems and promote future disturbances.
- Improved knowledge of insect responses to disturbance enhances predictions of ecological dynamics and global change.
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