A comparison of the dynamical impact of seasonal mechanisms in a herbivore–plant defence system

Autor: Jonathan A. Sherratt, Andrew White, Xavier Lambin, Jennifer J. H. Reynolds
Rok vydání: 2012
Předmět:
Zdroj: Theoretical Ecology. 6:225-239
ISSN: 1874-1746
1874-1738
DOI: 10.1007/s12080-012-0173-1
Popis: Plant defences can reduce herbivore fitness and may promote cycles in some herbivore populations. In this study, we model the interaction between plant defences and herbivores and include seasonal forcing, a ubiquitous environmental influence in natural systems. We compare the impacts of two different seasonal mechanisms on the dynamics of the herbivore–plant defence system. The first mechanism involves a fixed breeding season length and a variable birth rate within the breeding season; the second involves a variable breeding season length and a fixed birth rate within the breeding season. When parameterised for a specific cyclic system, namely field voles and silica, our model predicts that a variable season length gives multi-year cycles for a larger region in parameter space than a variable birth rate. Our results highlight the complexity of the dynamical effects of seasonal forcing and that these effects are strongly dependent on the type of seasonal mechanism.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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