Of clockwork and catastrophes: advances in spatiotemporal dynamics of forest Lepidoptera

We applied a systematic global literature survey from the last 2.5 years on spatiotemporal population dynamics - broadly defined - of Lepidopteran forest pests. Articles were summarized according to domain-specific (planetary ecology - remote sensing, evolutionary ecology - genetics and genomics, and theoretical ecology - modeling) contributions to contemporary investigation of the above theme. `Model systems' dominating our literature survey were native Choristoneura fumiferana and invasive Lymantria dispar. These systems represent opposing ends of a more general equilibrium-disequilibrium gradient, with implications for lessstudied taxa. The dynamics of Lepidopteran systems defy simple modeling approaches. Technologies and insights emerging from `slower' science domains are informing more complex theory, including predictions of spread, impacts, or both posed by more recent invasions and the disrupting effects of climate change.