Interactions of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, with typical and atypical host material, lodgepole pine and interior hybrid spruce, in the central interior of British Columbia.

Interactions between mountain pine beetles and spruce hosts are rare, but a high frequency of mountain pine beetle attacks on interior hybrid spruce, an atypical host species, have recently been observed within the central interior of British Columbia, an area experiencing a severe outbreak of mountain pine beetle. I first examined the effect of natal history on host selection by females, and settlement patterns of conspecific males. In a second study, I examined the effects of host species and competitors on mountain pine beetle reproduction in a field experiment. The third study examined the association of within-stand beetle population density and pine vs. spruce availability with attraction to traps baited with pine and spruce host material. Using mountain pine beetle as a model organism, this work emphasizes insect host selection and reproductive success, with potential implications for host range expansion in eruptive herbivores. --P. ii.