scholarly journals Quantifying whether different demographic models produce incongruent results on population dynamics of two long-term studied rodent species

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26
Author(s):  
Giovanni Amori ◽  
Valentina De Silvestro ◽  
Paolo Ciucci ◽  
Luca Luiselli

Abstract1. Population density (ind/ha) of long-term (>15 years) series of CMR populations, using distinct demographic models designed for both open and closed populations, were analysed for two sympatric species of rodents (Myodes glareolus and Apodemus flavicollis) from a mountain area in central Italy, in order to test the relative performance of various employed demographic models. In particular, the hypothesis that enumeration models systematically underestimate the population size of a given population was tested.2. Overall, we compared the performance of 7 distinct demographic models, including both closed and open models, for each study species. Although the two species revealed remarkable intrinsic differences in demography traits (for instance, a lower propensity for being recaptured in Apodemus flavicollis), the Robust Design appeared to be the best fitting model, showing that it is the most suitable model for long-term studies.3. Among the various analysed demographic models, Jolly-Seber returned the lower estimates of population density for both species. Thus, this demographic model could not be suggested for being applied for long-term studies of small mammal populations because it tends to remarkably underestimate the effective population size. Nonetheless, yearly estimates of population density by Jolly-Seber correlated positively with yearly estimates of population density by closed population models, thus showing that interannual trends in population dynamics were uncovered by both types of demographic models, although with different values in terms of true population size.

Author(s):  
Alita Pinter

A variety of hypotheses has been proposed to explain multiannual fluctuations in population density ("cycles") of small rodents (for reviews see Finerty 1980, Taitt and Krebs 1985). Doubtless, such cycles - known since antiquity (Elton 1942) - result from an interaction of a multitude of factors. However, the inability of extant hypotheses, alone or in combination, to explain the causality of cycles rests in no small measure with the fact that long-term studies of the phenomenon are notoriously uncommon.


Author(s):  
Aelita Pinter

Multiannual fluctuations ("cycles") in population density of small rodents doubtless result from the interaction of a multitude of factors, as evidenced by the variety of hypotheses proposed to explain the phenomenon (for reviews see Finerty 1980, Taitt and Krebs 1985). However, the inability of these hypotheses - alone or in combination - to explain the causality of cycles rests in no small measure with the fact that long-term studies of the phenomenon are notoriously uncommon. The objectives of this project are to continue a long-term study of the population dynamics of the montane vole, Microtus montanus, in Grand Teton National Park. On the basis of earlier observations (Pinter 1986, 1988) particular emphasis will be placed on how environmental variables, possibly acting through reproductive responses, contribute to the population density cycles of these rodents.


Author(s):  
Aelita Pinter

A variety of hypotheses have been proposed to explain multiannual fluctuations in population density ("cycles") of small rodents (for reviews see Finerty 1980, Taitt and Krebs 1985). Doubtless, such cycles - known since antiquity (Elton 1942) - result from an interaction of a multitude of factors. However, the inability of extant hypotheses, alone or in combination, to explain the causality of cycles rests in no small measure with the fact that long-term studies of the phenomenon are notoriously uncommon. The objectives of this project are to continue the long-term study of population dynamics of the montane vole, Microtus montanus, in Grand Teton National Park. Earlier observations (Pinter 1986, 1988) indicate that environmental variables might contribute to the population density cycles of these rodents, possibly by influencing their growth and various aspects of their reproduction.


Author(s):  
Aelita Pinter

Multiannual fluctuations ("cycles") in population density of small rodents doubtless result from the interaction of a multitude of factors, as evidenced by the variety of hypotheses proposed to explain the phenomenon (for reviews see Finerty 1980, Taitt and Krebs 1985). However, the inability of these hypotheses - alone or in combination - to explain the causality of cycles rests in no small measure with the fact that long-term studies of the phenomenon are notoriously uncommon. The objectives of this project are to continue the long-term study of the population dynamics of the montane vole, Microtus montanus, in Grand Teton National Park. On the basis of earlier observations (Pinter 1986, 1988) particular emphasis will be placed on how environmental variables, possibly acting through reproductive responses, contribute to the population density cycles of these rodents.


Author(s):  
Aelita Pinter

A variety of hypotheses has been proposed to explain multiannual fluctuations in population density ("cycles") of small rodents (for reviews see Finerty 1980, Taitt and Krebs 1985). Doubtless, such cycles - known since antiquity (Elton 1942) - result from an interaction of a multitude of factors. However, the inability of extant hypotheses, alone or in combination, to explain the causality of cycles rests in no small measure with the fact that long-term studies of the phenomenon are notoriously uncommon. The objectives of this project are to continue the long-term study of population dynamics of the montane vole, Microtus montanus, in Grand Teton National Park. Earlier observations (Pinter 1986, 1988) indicate that environmental variables might contribute to the population density cycles of these rodents, possibly by influencing their growth and various aspects of their reproduction.


Author(s):  
Aelita Pinter

Multiannual fluctuations in population density ("cycles") of small rodents have been known since antiquity (Elton 1942). Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon (for reviews see Finerty 1980, Taitt and Krebs 1985). However, none of these hypotheses, alone or in combination, have been able to explain the causality of cycles. The objectives of this long-term study are to determine whether environmental variables, possibly acting through reproductive responses, contribute to the multiannual fluctuations of the montane vole, Microtus montanus.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph O. Ogutu ◽  
Patricia D Moehlman ◽  
Hans-Peter Piepho ◽  
Victor A Runyoro ◽  
Michael B Coughenour ◽  
...  

The Ngorongoro Crater is an intact caldera with an area of approximately 310 km2. Long term records on herbivore populations, vegetation and rainfall made it possible to analyze historic and project future herbivore population dynamics. In 1974 there was a perturbation in that resident Maasai and their livestock were removed from the Crater. Vegetation structure changed in 1967 from predominately short grassland to mid and tall grasses dominating in 1995. Even with a change in grassland structure, total herbivore biomass remained relatively stable from 1963 to 2012, implying that the crater has a stable multi-herbivore community. However, in 1974, Maasai pastoralists were removed from the Ngorongoro Crater and there were significant changes in population trends for some herbivore species. Buffalo, elephant and ostrich numbers increased significantly during 1974-2012. The zebra population was stable from 1963 to 2012 whereas numbers of other eight species declined substantially between 1974 and 2012 relative to their peak numbers during 1974-1976. Numbers of Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, eland, kongoni, waterbuck (wet season only) declined significantly in the Crater in both seasons after 1974. Wildebeest numbers decreased in the Crater between 1974 and 2012 but this decrease was not statistically significant. In addition, some herbivore species were consistently more abundant inside the Crater during the wet than the dry season. This pattern was most evident for the large herbivore species requiring bulk forage, comprising buffalo, eland, and elephant. Analyses of rainfall indicated that there was a persistent annual cycle of 4.83 years. Herbivore population size was correlated with rainfall in both the wet and dry seasons. The relationships established between the time series of historic animal counts in the wet and dry seasons and lagged wet and dry season rainfall series were used to forecast the likely future trajectories of the wet and dry season population size for each species under three alternative climate change scenarios.


Author(s):  
Aelita Pinter

Multiannual fluctuations in population density of small rodents have been known since antiquity. However, factors responsible for this phenomenon remain unknown (Krebs and Myers 1974, Finerty 1980, Taitt and Krebs 1985). The objectives of this long-term study are to determine whether environmental variables, possibly acting through reproductive responses, contribute to the multiannual fluctuations of the montane vole, Microtus montanus.


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