Regional population dynamics of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis

Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) is a major pest of pine forests of the South Eastern United States. Its pestilence is characterized by regional (ca 2500 mile2) outbreaks lasting one or two years, followed by extended periods of little or no damage. Its life-history processes (development, survival, fecundity and dispersal) have been shown to be strongly driven by temperature. In addition, the interaction between SPB and its host, competitors and predators may be affected by a number of other climatic events such as rainfall (drought and flooding) and extreme temperatures (low and high temperature mortality). In this paper we will critically review the role of climate in characterizing the two dimensions of SPB pestilence: 1) The frequency of outbreaks and 2) The severity of outbreaks. In turn, we use these insights to project the likely impacts of climate change on SPB activity.