A network approach to modeling population aggregation and genetic control of pest insects

Laith Yakob, Istvan Z. Kiss and Michael B. Bonsall

Theoretical Population Biology, 2008, vol. 74, issue 4, 324-331

Abstract: Historically, models of the invasion and biological control of insect pests have omitted heterogeneities in the spatial structure of the targeted populations. In this study, we use stochastic network simulations to examine explicitly population heterogeneity as a function of landscape structure and insect behavior. We show that when insects are distributed non-randomly across a heterogeneous landscape, control can be significantly hindered. However, when insect populations are clustered as a result of limited dispersal, genetic control efficiency can be enhanced. In developing the model, we relax a key assumption of previous theoretical studies of genetic control: that released genetic control insects remain homogenously distributed irrespective of the spatial structure of the wild type populations. Here, this behavior (termed the ‘coverage proportion’) is parameterized and its properties are explored. We show that landscape heterogeneity and limited dispersal have little effect on the critical coverage proportion necessary for control.

Keywords: Sterile male release; Network model; Pest management; Population aggregation; Insect invasion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040580908000932
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:thpobi:v:74:y:2008:i:4:p:324-331

DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2008.09.003

Access Statistics for this article

Theoretical Population Biology is currently edited by Jeremy Van Cleve

More articles in Theoretical Population Biology from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().