Population outbreaks are characterized by irruptive changes in population density and connectivity resulting in rapid demographic and spatial expansion, often at the landscape scale. Outbreaks are common across multiple taxa, many of which inhabit northern ecosystems. Outbreaks of Lepidopteran defoliators in forest ecosystems are a particularly compelling example of this phenomenon, given the massive spatial scales over which...

Periodic and spatially synchronous outbreaks of insect pests have dramatic consequences for boreal and sub‐boreal forests. Within these multitrophic systems, parasitoids can be stabilizing agents by dispersing toward patches containing higher host density (the so‐called birdfeeder effect). However, we know little about the dispersal abilities of parasitoids in continuous forested landscapes, limiting our understanding of the s...