Dynamics of Large Herbivore Populations in Changing Environments Towards Appropriate Models

by Owen-smith, Norman

• ISBN13: 9781405198950
• ISBN10: 1405198958
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781444318609
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-22
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• More Book Details

Summary

This book aims to reconcile theoretical models of population dynamics with what is currently known about the population dynamics of large mammalian herbivores. It arose from a working group established at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to address the need for models that better accommodate environmental variability, especially for herbivores dependent on changing vegetation resources. The initial chapter reviews findings from definitive long-term studies of certain other ungulate populations, many based on individually identifiable animals. Other chapters cover climatic influences, emphasising temperate versus tropical contrasts, and demographic processes underlying population dynamics, more generally. There are new assessments of irruptive population dynamics, and of the consequences of landscape heterogeneity for herbivore populations. An initial review of candidate population models is followed up by a final chapter outlining how these models might be modified to better accommodate environmental variability. The contents provide a foundation for resolving problems of diminishing large mammal populations in Africa, over-abundant ungulate populations elsewhere, and general consequences of global change for biodiversity conservation. This book will serve as a definitive outline of what is currently known about the population dynamics of large herbivores.

Author Biography

Norman Owen-Smith has a special interest in the behavioral and population ecology of large mammalian herbivores. After obtaining his PhD for a study of white rhinos through the University of Wisconsin, he held appointments at the Universities of Pretoria and Zimbabwe before settling into a position at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he headed the Centre for African Ecology.

Table of Contents

Contributors	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Definitive case studies	p. 1
Red deer on Rum	p. 2
Soay sheep on Hirta	p. 5
Roe deer in France	p. 8
Bighorn sheep in Alberta	p. 10
Kudu in Kruger	p. 13
Wildebeest in Serengeti	p. 15
Moose on Isle Royale	p. 18
Elk in North Yellowstone	p. 20
Overview	p. 22
Acknowledgments	p. 28
References	p. 28
The suite of population models	p. 34
Models of density dependence	p. 36
Autoregressive time-series models	p. 40
Age- or stage-structured models	p. 43
Trophic interaction models	p. 49
Physiological or metaphysiological models	p. 52
Models accommodating spatial structure	p. 53
Individual-based models	p. 54
Overview	p. 54
Acknowledgments	p. 57
References	p. 57
Climatic influences: temperate-tropical contrasts	p. 63
Temperate environments	p. 65
Tropical and subtropical environments	p. 77
Effects of predation and hunting	p. 86
Overall assessment	p. 88
Acknowledgments	p. 90
References	p. 90
Demographic processes: lessons from long-term, individual-based studies	p. 98
Life history of large herbivores: a brief review	p. 99
Differential contributions of demographic parameters to population growth	p. 103
Climatic variation, density-dependence, and individual variability	p. 106
Conclusions: how can future analyses of large herbivore demography deal with complex demographic processes?	p. 108
Acknowledgments	p. 110
References	p. 110
Irruptive dynamics and vegetation interactions	p. 117
Models of herbivore-vegetation interactions	p. 118
Examples of irruptive dynamics	p. 122
Effects of irruptions on vegetation	p. 127
Changing perspectives	p. 128
Synthesis	p. 132
Implications for conservation and management	p. 133
Acknowledgments	p. 135
References	p. 135
How does landscape heterogeneity shape dynamics of large herbivore populations?	p. 141
What is spatial heterogeneity?	p. 143
How does spatial heterogeneity influence ungulate population dynamics?	p. 143
Mechanisms explaining the influence of spatial heterogeneity on population dynamics	p. 148
Influences from high-quality resources	p. 151
Influences from buffer resources	p. 154
Global change and access to heterogeneity by large herbivores	p. 155
Conclusions: the importance of spatial context for population dynamics	p. 157
Acknowledgments	p. 158
References	p. 158
Towards an ecology of population dynamics	p. 165
Phenomenological descriptors	p. 167
Time series elaborations	p. 171
Environmental structure	p. 174
Population structure	p. 183
Adaptive responses and environmental contexts	p. 188
Summary and conclusions	p. 190
Acknowledgments	p. 190
References	p. 190
Index	p. 197
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