What are the roles of insects like mountain pine beetle in a forest?
Pine forests often succumb to insects or disease as they age. When mountain pine beetle kill a pine tree, they create habitat for a variety of animal and plant species. Other tree species and plants that have been growing alongside or underneath that pine now have more light in which to grow. These new species in turn support other wildlife by providing shelter and food. Insects help forests recycle nutrients by assisting in the breakdown of trees and plants into organic matter. Nutrients are returned to the soil where the cycle begins again.
