Quantitative aspects of plant-insect interactions in fragmented landscapes : the role of insect search behavior

• Insects searching for host plants in the landscape are challenged by habitat fragmentation and heterogeneity. Host plants or habitat are usually distributed in scattered patches that may differ in size, shape and isolation. The ability of finding these patches strongly depends on the insect´s search behavior and the sensory cues used for detecting and locating patches. Here, I describe sensory systems of insects, such as vision, olfaction and taste, in relation to host plant search. I discuss quantitative patterns of insect distributions and density-area relations arising from search behavior. Migration pattern may be strongly affected by the cue used by the insect in the patch detection process. The relation between visual cues and patch size is well known, but we lack knowledge about how olfactory cues are connected to patch size. Since search behavior affects the spatial distribution of insects, I briefly describe consequences for host plants. Finally, I describe the main objectives of my PhD-project.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Terrestrial ecology

Terrestrisk ekologi

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