Problem 1
We tend to overlook the fact that these mortality estimates do not represent an ultimate objective in population work. Long columns of percentages, which are sometimes presented only with the conclusion that high percentages indicate important mortality factors and low percentages indicate unimportant ones. contribute little to our understanding of population dynamics. Discuss this claim.
Problem 2
Density-dependent relationships can be looked for by studying different local populations living in different patches (spatial density dependence) or by following one local population over several years (temporal density dependence). Discuss the interpretation of these two types of data with regard to the problem of regulation.
Problem 6
Spatial synchrony is relatively common in forest insect pests that have outbreaks (Liebhold and Kamata 2000 ). Suggest three possible mechanisms that could produce synchrony among local populations, and discuss what data could test among these alternative hypotheses.
