Emergent Allee Effects through Biomass Overcompensation

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
André M. de Roos ◽  
Lennart Persson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Population Growth Rate ◽  
Allee Effect ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Life History Stage ◽  
Predator Population ◽  
Allee Effects

This chapter discusses the emergence of a positive feedback between the density of predators and the availability of its food, mediated through biomass overcompensation in the prey life history stage that it forages on. This positive feedback between predation, prey availability, and thus predator population growth rate manifests itself at the population-level as an Allee effect for the predator: a predator population at low density will decline to extinction, whereas at high densities predators will manage to establish themselves in a community with prey. However, this positive relation between predator density and its population growth rate does not result from any positively density-dependent interactions among the predators themselves, which generally form the basis of an Allee effect. Instead, predators only interact with each other through exploitative competition for prey. The Allee effect emerges solely as a consequence of the demographic changes in the prey population, which are induced by the mortality that the predator imposes. For this reason this phenomenon is referred to as an “emergent Allee effect.”

scholarly journals Population consequences of climate change through effects on functional traits of lentic brown trout in the sub-Arctic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Magnus Bærum ◽  
Anders G. Finstad ◽  
Eva Marita Ulvan ◽  
Thrond O. Haugen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Brown Trout ◽  
Population Growth Rate ◽  
Population Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Size At Age

AbstractClimate-induced plasticity in functional traits has received recent attention due to the immense importance phenotypic variation plays in population level responses. Here, we explore the effect of different climate-change scenarios on lentic populations of a freshwater ectotherm, the brown trout (Salmo trutta L.), through climate effects on functional traits. We first parameterize models of climate variables on growth, spawning probability and fecundity. The models are utilized to inform a dynamic age-structured projection matrix, enabling long-term population viability projections under climate and population density variation. Ambient temperature and winter conditions had a substantial effect on population growth rate. In general, warmer summer temperatures resulted in faster growth rates for young fish but ended in smaller size at age as fish got older. Increasing summer temperatures also induced maturation at younger age and smaller size. In addition, we found effects of first-year growth on later growth trajectories for a fish, indicating that environmental conditions experienced the first year will also influence size at age later in life. At the population level, increasing temperatures average (up to 4 °C increase in areas with mean summer temperature at approximately 12 °C) resulted in a positive effect on population growth rate (i.e. smaller but more fish) during climate simulations including increasing and more variable temperatures.

scholarly journals Trophic interactions and population growth rates: describing patterns and identifying mechanisms

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1425) ◽  
pp. 1259-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Hudson ◽  
Andy P. Dobson ◽  
Isabella M. Cattadori ◽  
David Newborn ◽  
Dan T. Haydon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Population Growth Rate ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Negative Growth

While the concept of population growth rate has been of central importance in the development of the theory of population dynamics, few empirical studies consider the intrinsic growth rate in detail, let alone how it may vary within and between populations of the same species. In an attempt to link theory with data we take two approaches. First, we address the question 'what growth rate patterns does theory predict we should see in time–series?' The models make a number of predictions, which in general are supported by a comparative study between time–series of harvesting data from 352 red grouse populations. Variations in growth rate between grouse populations were associated with factors that reflected the quality and availability of the main food plant of the grouse. However, while these results support predictions from theory, they provide no clear insight into the mechanisms influencing reductions in population growth rate and regulation. In the second part of the paper, we consider the results of experiments, first at the individual level and then at the population level, to identify the important mechanisms influencing changes in individual productivity and population growth rate. The parasitic nematode Trichostrongylus tenuis is found to have an important influence on productivity, and when incorporated into models with their patterns of distribution between individuals has a destabilizing effect and generates negative growth rates. The hypothesis that negative growth rates at the population level were caused by parasites was demonstrated by a replicated population level experiment. With a sound and tested model framework we then explore the interaction with other natural enemies and show that in general they tend to stabilize variations in growth rate. Interestingly, the models show selective predators that remove heavily infected individuals can release the grouse from parasite–induced regulation and allow equilibrium populations to rise. By contrast, a tick–borne virus that killed chicks simply leads to a reduction in the equilibrium. When humans take grouse they do not appear to stabilize populations and this may be because many of the infective stages are available for infection before harvesting commences. In our opinion, an understanding of growth rates and population dynamics is best achieved through a mechanistic approach that includes a sound experimental approach with the development of models. Models can be tested further to explore how the community of predators and others interact with their prey.

scholarly journals Biological scaling in green algae: the role of cell size and geometry

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Bestová ◽  
Jules Segrestin ◽  
Klaus von Schwartzenberg ◽  
Pavel Škaloud ◽  
Thomas Lenormand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Population Growth Rate ◽  
Internal Diffusion ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Power Scaling ◽  
Nutrient Distribution ◽  
Metabolic Scaling ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Size And Morphology

AbstractThe Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST), hypothesizes limitations of resource-transport networks in organisms and predicts their optimization into fractal-like structures. As a result, the relationship between population growth rate and body size should follow a cross-species universal quarter-power scaling. However, the universality of metabolic scaling has been challenged, particularly across transitions from bacteria to protists to multicellulars. The population growth rate of unicellulars should be constrained by external diffusion, ruling nutrient uptake, and internal diffusion, operating nutrient distribution. Both constraints intensify with increasing size possibly leading to shifting in the scaling exponent. We focused on unicellular algae Micrasterias. Large size and fractal-like morphology make this species a transitional group between unicellular and multicellular organisms in the evolution of allometry. We tested MST predictions using measurements of growth rate, size, and morphology-related traits. We showed that growth scaling of Micrasterias follows MST predictions, reflecting constraints by internal diffusion transport. Cell fractality and density decrease led to a proportional increase in surface area with body mass relaxing external constraints. Complex allometric optimization enables to maintain quarter-power scaling of population growth rate even with a large unicellular plan. Overall, our findings support fractality as a key factor in the evolution of biological scaling.

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