INFLUENCE OF LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE ON MOVEMENT BEHAVIOR AND HABITAT USE BY RED FLOUR BEETLE (TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM) by

Theoretical and empirical ecological research has emphasized the need for understanding how animals perceive and respond to landscape structure and the importance of integrating both behavioral and landscape approaches when studying movement behavior. Knowledge of insect movement behavior is essential for understanding and modeling dispersal and population structure and developing biologically-based integrated pest management programs. My dissertation research addresses questions concerning how insects respond to landscape structure by examining movement behavior of an important stored-product pest, red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), in experimental landscapes. Results show that beetles modify movement behavior depending on landscape structure. Edge effects and interpatch distances may influence landscape viscosity, or the degree to which landscape structure facilitates or impedes movement, resulting in significant differences in velocity and tortuosity (amount of turning) of movement pathways, as well as retention time in landscapes with different levels of habitat abundance and aggregation. Perceptual range, or the distance from which habitat is detected, appears to be limited while beetles are moving in