Forest landscapes - Their effect on the interaction of the southern pine beetle and red-cockaded woodpecker

The nature of the interaction of the southern pine beetle and red-cockaded woodpecker was investigated using spatially explicit information on the str ucture of a forest landscape mosaic and knowledge of the behavior of the tw o organisms. This interaction is the basis for defining functional heteroge neity-how an organism perceives and responds to the elements forming the la ndscape. Implications for forest landscape management are discussed. The ap proach used illustrates how information on landscape configuration can be u sed with Knowledge of animal behavior to investigate species interaction in forests.