Journal
ECOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 4, Issue 3, Pages 229-235Publisher
BLACKWELL SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1046/j.1461-0248.2001.00223.x
Keywords
chaos; nonlinear population dynamics; population control; phase space; population perturbations; ecological sensitivity; flour beetles; Tribolium
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We used small perturbations in adult numbers to control large fluctuations in the chaotic demographic dynamics of laboratory populations of the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. A nonlinear mathematical model was used to identify a sensitive region of phase space where the addition of a few adult insects would result in a dampening of the life stage fluctuations. Three experimental treatments were applied: one in which perturbations were made whenever the populations were inside the sensitive region (in-box treatment), another where perturbations were made whenever the populations were outside the sensitive region (out-box treatment), and an unperturbed control. The in-box treatment caused a stabilization of insect densities at numbers well below the peak values exhibited by the out-box and control populations. This study demonstrates how small perturbations can be used to influence the chaotic dynamics of an ecological system.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available