Landscape-level spatiotemporal patterns of Dendrolimus punctatus Walker and its driving forces: evidence from a Pinus massoniana forest

• Published in: Trees (Berlin, West) Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 553 - 562
• Main Authors: You, Weibin, You, Huiming, Wu, Liyun, Ji, Zhirong, He, Dongjin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-04-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Annual precipitation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Climate; Climate change; Damage; Dendrolimus punctatus; Forestry; Historic sites; Infestation; Landscape; Life Sciences; Multivariate statistical analysis; Original Article; Outbreaks; Pest outbreaks; Pests; Pinus massoniana; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Statistical analysis; World Heritage Areas; China; Mantel test; Defoliator; Stand factor
• ISSN: 0931-1890; 1432-2285
• DOI: 10.1007/s00468-019-01936-0

Key message
The spatiotemporal patterns and strength of
Dendrolimus punctatus
Walker attacks were identified at the landscape level. Climate factors influenced pest damage more than stand or topographic factors.
Dendrolimus punctatus
Walker (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) routinely infests pine species in southern China and inflicts heavy damage on resources or monetary earnings. Evidence is required to facilitate a better understanding of spatiotemporal infestation patterns at the landscape level and the influence of various factors on its outbreaks from multiple spheres. We quantified the landscape-level spatiotemporal pattern of
D. punctatus
occurrence and examined the impacts of climate, stand and topographical factors on pest infestations in a
Pinus massoniana
natural forest in a mixed world heritage site in southeastern China. Our findings indicated that pest infestations had a relatively strong temporal continuity and a weak spatially aggregated distribution at a landscape level. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that climate variables had a greater influence on the degree of damage caused by
D. punctatus
infestations than stand or topographical variables. A decrease in annual average precipitation or humidity may cause an increased risk of pest outbreaks.