A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE SCALES IN INSECT POPULATIONS.: A CASE STUDY: THE CHESTNUT WEEVIL CURCULIO ELEPHAS

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Abstract
Populations of the chestnut weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) living in 14 patches (13 with chestnut trees, 1 with oak) were studied over a period of twelve years. Four spatial scales were considered: the patch (one or several trees), the chestnut tree (for patches with several trees), the chestnut-husk and the chestnut. Heterogeneity was the highest between trees and among chestnuts; it was larger in multiple-tree patches than in single-tree patches. The infestation rate per tree varied from 0 to 0.41 immature weevils per fruit. The distribution of immature weevils per chestnut was highly contagious. Different mechanisms are implied at the two main scales, trees and chestnuts, and must be incorporated in a hierarchical model of population dynamics. Difficulties due to the application of metapopulation concept to natural populations of insects are underlined.

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