The role of host plant resistance in the colonization behavior and ecology of bark beetles
TL;DR
One beetle dies; forty beetles kill the tree. Aggregation pheromones solve the coordination problem of overwhelming host defenses through precisely-timed mass attack.
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Established the critical attack density threshold in bark beetle ecology—showing how aggregation pheromones solve the coordination problem of overwhelming host tree defenses through precisely-timed mass attack.
Key Findings from Raffa & Berryman (1983)
- At least 40 attacks per square meter required to overcome tree chemical defenses
- Optimal attack density is ~60 attacks per square meter for successful reproduction
- Aggregation pheromones create positive feedback loop recruiting nearby beetles
- Anti-aggregation pheromones at high density redistribute attackers to adjacent trees
- Beetles maintain near-optimal density regardless of population pressure