MC 4063
Candidate
Peter
Jentsch
Applied
Mathematics,
University
of
À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ
Title
Multiple Disturbances in Forest Ecosystems: A Dynamical Model of Forest Pests and Wildfire
Abstract
Resilience to large disturbances, such as fire, storms, and drought,Ìýis a factor that has shaped the pine forests of Western North America for millennia. Many pine species depend on large, stand replacingÌýfires to maintain healthy populations in their endemic range, and barkÌýbeetles to accelerate turnover of weak and aging trees. However, twoÌýor more of these stressors can interact in un-intuitive, nonlinearÌýways, especially under anthropogenic climate change and modern forestÌýfire suppression. We develop a dynamical model coupling wildfire andÌýbark beetle dynamics in order to test the logic of suggested hypotheses for their interactions and explore whether the resulting nonlinear dynamics of these hypotheses match observed patterns.