Taylor's law (TL) asserts that the variance in a species' population density is a power-law function of its mean population density: log(variance) = a + b × log(mean). TL is widely verified. We show here that empirical time series of density of the Hokkaido gray-sided vole, Myodes rufocanus, sampled 1962-1992 at 85 locations, satisfied temporal and spatial forms of TL. The slopes (b ± standard ...

This thesis uses spatially distributed models to test the Metapopulation Hypothesis, which asserts that migration between local populations promotes the persistence of a regional “metapopulation” despite short-term local fluctuations, or even temporary local extinctions, on the local scale. A review of relevant models finds that:1. These models found nothing to disagree with the hypothesis. Sub...

We analyzed the effects of population density and climatic variables on the rate of population growth in the guanaco ( Lama guanicoe), a wild camelid species in South America. We used a time series of 36 years (1977-2012) of population sampling in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Individuals were grouped in three age-classes: newborns, juveniles, and adults; for each year a female population transition...

Although population responses to environmental variability have been extensively studied for many organisms, few studies have considered early-life stages owing to the inherent difficulties in tracking the fate of young individuals. However, young individuals are expected to be more sensitive to environmental stochasticity owing to their inexperience and lower competitive abilities. Thus, they ...

Predator effects on prey populations are determined by the number of prey consumed and effects on the traits of surviving prey. Yet, effects of predators on prey traits are rarely evaluated in field studies. We measured the effects of predators on energetic traits (consumption and growth rates) of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in a large-scale field study. Salmon fry were released at 1...

Understanding the mechanisms that drive population dynamics is fundamental for management of wild populations. The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is one of two wild camelid species in South America. We evaluated the effects of density dependence and weather variables on population regulation based on a time series of 36 years of population sampling of guanacos in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. The populatio...

Exurban development is nonmetropolitan, residential development characterized by a human population density and average property size intermediate between suburban and rural areas. Although growth in exurban areas is outpacing that of urban, suburban, or rural landscapes, studies of deer (Odocoileus spp.) ecology in exurban areas are nonexistent. During 2003–2005, we studied space use (i.e., se...

Harvest can affect the ecology and evolution of wild species. The removal of key individuals, such as matriarchs or dominant males, can disrupt social structure and exacerbate the impact of hunting on population growth. We do not know, however, how and when the spatiotemporal reorganization takes place after removal and if such changes can be the mechanism that explain a decrease in population ...

Variation between individuals is an essential component of natural selection and evolutionary change, but it is only recently that the consequences of persistent differences between individuals on population dynamics have been considered. In particular, few authors have addressed whether interactions exist between individual quality and environmental variation. In part, this is due to the diffi...

This paper studies population models which have the following three ingredients: populations are divided into local subpopulations, local population dynamics are noniinear and random events occur locally in space. In this setting local stochastic phenomena have a systematic effect on average population density and this effect does not disappear in large populations. This result is an outcome of...