Population Dynamics of Gypsy Moth in North America

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is a major defoliator of deciduous trees throughout the northern hemisphere. Introduced into eastern Massachusetts from Europe in 1868 or 1869, it has gradually spread south and west and will soon occupy most of the hardwood forests in the eastern United States and Canada. The gypsy moth has been the subject of intensive study by scientists throughout the world, and several reviews exist of the older gypsy moth literature (50, 54, 94). Other reviews that cover more selective topics appear in the proceedings of a recent symposium on the Lymantriidae (173). Here, we provide a summary of current knowledge about the population dynamics of gypsy moth, emphasizing research that has been done since the last major review in 1981 (50). However, we also include some of the earlier studies to provide the appropriate framework for more recent studies. We concentrate on gypsy moth in North America, but we also make comparisons to some of the important studies conducted elsewhere. In preparation for this review, we have drawn from numerous sources including several reference lists (64, 65) and annotated bibliographies (37, 133),