Distribution and dispersal in populations capable of resource depletion

Abstract

Theoretical predictions from a simulation model of insect distributions and dispersal among isolated food plants have been tested with data gathered from 13 Cinnabar moth populations. Agreement with the predictions was good. Egg batch size was equal to or slightly larger than the number which could be supported by the average food plant. Egg batch distribution was more clumped when density was high and when egg batch size was small relative to food plant size. The tendency for larval dispersal was lower in populations in areas where plants were widely spaced. These findings indicate that the Cinnabar moth has the genetic or phenotypic flexibility to adjust egg batch size, egg distribution, and larval dispersal to characteristics of the habitat. A hypothesized model is proposed to describe the interactions between larval dispersal, food plant response to defoliation, and population fluctuations for the Cinnabar moth and its food plant, tansy ragwort.