Cross-scale Drivers of Natural Disturbances Prone to Anthropogenic Amplification: The Dynamics of Bark Beetle Eruptions

I nteractions between plants and insects encompass half of all ecological relationships Understanding the dynamics of eruptive species can provide valuable insights into fundamental ecological processes such as ecosystem disturbance, multitrophic interactions, symbioses, chemical signaling, and the selective pressures driving coevolution. Eruptive species are also important systems for studying economically and environmentally damaging consequences of anthropogenic activities. To better understand these systems, we require more knowledge of how processes at different biological levels and spatiotemporal scales interact. In many cases, emergent patterns cannot be predicted even when lowerlevel mechanisms are…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: DEB0314215, 0447689, EPS-0447689
• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
• UF
  U.S. Forest Service
• NR
  Natural Resources Canada
• CF
  Canadian Forest Service