Dynamics of phytophagous insects and their pathogens in Alaskan boreal forests

Richard A. Werner; Kenneth F. Raffa; Barbara L. Illman

Treesearch

Dynamics of phytophagous insects and their pathogens in Alaskan boreal forests

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Richard A. Werner, Kenneth F. Raffa, Barbara L. Illman

Year:

2006

Type:

Miscellaneous Publication

Station:

Forest Products Laboratory

Source:

Alaska's changing boreal forest. Oxford : New York : Oxford University Press, 2006. Long-term Ecological Research Network series: Pages [133]-146.

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Abstract

Boreal forests support an array of insects, including phytophagous (plant-eating) insects, saprophagous (detritus-eating) insects, and their associated parasites, predators, and symbionts. The phytophagous species include folivorous leaf chewers and miners, phloeophagous cambial and sapwood borers, stem gallers, and root feeders. Biological diversity and distribution of insect species exhibit predictable patterns among vegetation types (Werner 1994a). In this chapter, we discuss how phytophagous species of insects differ among plant communities and how various populations of insects react to disturbances that alter forest stand composition and density.

Keywords

Insect communities, insect ecology, insect pests, phytopathogenic fungi, taigas, insects as carriers of disease, species diversity, boreal forests, diseases and pests, Alaska

Citation

Werner, Richard A.; Raffa, Kenneth F.; Illman, Barbara L. 2006. Dynamics of phytophagous insects and their pathogens in Alaskan boreal forests. Alaska''s changing boreal forest. Oxford : New York : Oxford University Press, 2006. Long-term Ecological Research Network series: Pages [133]-146.