Acoustics of Mountain Pine Beetle and Lodgepole Pine
Date
2014-07-21
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Abstract
Mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) produce acoustic signals in a variety of contexts but more study is needed on the function(s) of their signals and on the acoustic cues beetles use. I studied the context-dependent acoustic signalling of male beetles to elucidate the function(s). When stressed, individuals produced short signals, typical of insect anti-predator signals. Prior to mating, individuals produced longer signals that were related to body size with potential implications for mate selection. I further examined the long-proposed idea that beetles could use acoustic emissions from their host, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), for host selection. Emission rates recorded in the field increased with presumed water stress and appeared to be related to lower quality trees. I then tested the effects of acoustic emissions on female host choice in a playback experiment and found that isolated females tended to prefer hosts with high acoustic emission rates.
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Ecology
Citation
Kaiser, M. (2014). Acoustics of Mountain Pine Beetle and Lodgepole Pine (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24684