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Abrupt population changes along smooth environmental gradients

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Abstract

Populations often exhibit abrupt changes in abundance associated with a smooth, continuous change in some component of their environment, with the abruptness usually attributed to inter-specific interactions or physical extremes. This paper presents a spatially explicit single-species population model in which intra-specific interactions alone are responsible for such an abrupt change. The essential mechanism involves cooperation in both colonization (through enhanced recruitment near other individuals) and mortality (protection through a “safety-in-numbers” interaction). Large fluctuations in population density would likely be observable near the transition region.

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Author notes

  1. William G. Wilson

    Present address: Department of Zoology, Duke University, 27708, Durham, NC, U.S.A.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California at Santa Barbara, 93106, Santa Barbara, CA, U.S.A.

    William G. Wilson & Roger M. Nisbet

  2. Marine Division, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 8602, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Alex H. Ross

  3. Department of Biology, California State University at Los Angeles, 90032, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

    Carlos Robles & Robert A. Desharnais

Authors
  1. William G. Wilson
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  2. Roger M. Nisbet
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  3. Alex H. Ross
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  4. Carlos Robles
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  5. Robert A. Desharnais
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Wilson, W.G., Nisbet, R.M., Ross, A.H. et al. Abrupt population changes along smooth environmental gradients. Bltn Mathcal Biology 58, 907–922 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02459489

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02459489

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