Predator-Prey Dynamics

Predator-Prey Dynamics
Author: Michael R. Conover
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2007-03-30
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1420009125

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Humans, being visually oriented, are well versed in camouflage and how animals hide from predators that use vision to locate prey. However, many predators do not hunt by sight; they hunt by scent. This raises the question: do survival mechanisms and behaviors exist which allow animals to hide from these olfactory predators? If so, what are they, a

Predator-Prey Dynamics

Predator-Prey Dynamics
Author: Michael R. Conover
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2007-03-30
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

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The Dynamics of Arthopod Predator-Prey Systems. (MPB-13), Volume 13

The Dynamics of Arthopod Predator-Prey Systems. (MPB-13), Volume 13
Author: Michael Patrick Hassell
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2020-03-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691209960

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In this study of arthropod predador-prey systems Michael Hassell shows how many of the components of predation may be simply modeled in order to reveal their effects on the overall dynamics of the interacting populations. Arthropods, particularly insects, make ideal subjects for such a study because their generation times are characteristically short and many have relatively discrete generations, inviting the use of difference equation models to describe population changes. Using analytical models framed in difference equations, Dr. Hassell is able to show how the detailed biological processes of insect predator-prey (including host-parasitoid) interactions may be understood. Emphasizing the development and subsequent stability analysis of general models, the author considers in detail several crucial components of predator-prey models: the prey's rate of increase as a function of density, non-random search, mutual interference, and the predator's rate of increase as a function of predator survival and fecundity. Drawing on the correspondence between the models and field and laboratory data, Dr. Hassell then discusses the practical implications for biological pest control and suggests how such models may help to formulate a theoretical basis for biological control practices.

Insect Predator-Prey Dynamics

Insect Predator-Prey Dynamics
Author: A. F. G. Dixon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2000-06
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521622035

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Much of our understanding about insect predator-prey dynamics has been due to studies on insect parasitoids. But do true predators such as ladybird beetles really operate in a similar way and how does this affect their use in biological control? The extensive literature on ladybirds as biocontrol agents shows that their size and rate of development is very dependent on the nature of their prey. This volume explores basic ladybird biology, their association with their prey and its effect on development rate and body size. Optimal foraging theory, field observations and laboratory experiments are used to illustrate how ladybird larvae maximise their rate of energy intake, and ladybird adults their fitness. The interdependence of these life history parameters is then used to develop a simple predator-prey model which, with an analysis of the literature, highlights the specific attributes of potentially successful biocontrol agents for all those interested in predator-prey dynamics.

Trophic Cascades

Trophic Cascades
Author: John Terborgh
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2013-06-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1597268194

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Trophic cascades—the top-down regulation of ecosystems by predators—are an essential aspect of ecosystem function and well-being. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventions—for example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructive—yet have only recently begun to be considered in the development of conservation and management strategies. Trophic Cascades is the first comprehensive presentation of the science on this subject. It brings together some of the world’s leading scientists and researchers to explain the importance of large animals in regulating ecosystems, and to relate that scientific knowledge to practical conservation. Chapters examine trophic cascades across the world’s major biomes, including intertidal habitats, coastal oceans, lakes, nearshore ecosystems, open oceans, tropical forests, boreal and temperate ecosystems, low arctic scrubland, savannas, and islands. Additional chapters consider aboveground/belowground linkages, predation and ecosystem processes, consumer control by megafauna and fire, and alternative states in ecosystems. An introductory chapter offers a concise overview of trophic cascades, while concluding chapters consider theoretical perspectives and comparative issues. Trophic Cascades provides a scientific basis and justification for the idea that large predators and top-down forcing must be considered in conservation strategies, alongside factors such as habitat preservation and invasive species. It is a groundbreaking work for scientists and managers involved with biodiversity conservation and protection.

Deterministic Threshold Models in the Theory of Epidemics

Deterministic Threshold Models in the Theory of Epidemics
Author: P. Waltman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 108
Release: 2013-03-08
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3642808204

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These notes correspond to a set of lectures given at the Univer sity of Alberta during the spring semester, 1973. The first four sec tions present a systematic development of a deterministic, threshold model for the spraad of an infection. Section 5 presents some compu tational results and attempts to tie the model with other mathematics. In each of the last three sections a separate, specialized topic is presented. The author wishes to thank Professor F. Hoppensteadt for making available preprints of two of his papers and for reading and comment ing on a preliminary version of these notes. He also wishes to thank Professor J. Mosevich for providing the graphs in Section 5. The visit at the University of Alberta was a very pleasant one and the author wishes to express his appreciation to Professors S. Ghurye and J. Macki for the invitation to visit there. Finally, thanks are due to the very competent secretarial staff at the University of Alberta for typing the original draft of the lecture notes and to Mrs. Ada Burns of the University of Iowa for her excellent typescript of the final version. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. A Simple Epidemic Model with Permanent Removal . . . • . . . 1 2. A More General Model and the Determination of the Intensity of an Epidemic. 10 21 3. A Threshold Model. 4. A Threshold Model with Temporary Immunity. 34 5. Some Special Cases and Some Numerical Examples 48 A Two Population Threshold Model . 62 6.

Nonlinear Dynamics of Interacting Populations

Nonlinear Dynamics of Interacting Populations
Author: A. D. Bazykin
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 224
Release: 1998
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9789810216856

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This book contains a systematic study of ecological communities of two or three interacting populations. Starting from the Lotka-Volterra system, various regulating factors are considered, such as rates of birth and death, predation and competition. The different factors can have a stabilizing or a destabilizing effect on the community, and their interplay leads to increasingly complicated behavior. Studying and understanding this path to greater dynamical complexity of ecological systems constitutes the backbone of this book. On the mathematical side, the tool of choice is the qualitative theory of dynamical systems — most importantly bifurcation theory, which describes the dependence of a system on the parameters. This approach allows one to find general patterns of behavior that are expected to be observed in ecological models. Of special interest is the reaction of a given model to disturbances of its present state, as well as to changes in the external conditions. This leads to the general idea of “dangerous boundaries” in the state and parameter space of an ecological system. The study of these boundaries allows one to analyze and predict qualitative and often sudden changes of the dynamics — a much-needed tool, given the increasing antropogenic load on the biosphere.As a spin-off from this approach, the book can be used as a guided tour of bifurcation theory from the viewpoint of application. The interested reader will find a wealth of intriguing examples of how known bifurcations occur in applications. The book can in fact be seen as bridging the gap between mathematical biology and bifurcation theory.

A Short History of Mathematical Population Dynamics

A Short History of Mathematical Population Dynamics
Author: Nicolas Bacaër
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2011-02-01
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0857291157

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As Eugene Wigner stressed, mathematics has proven unreasonably effective in the physical sciences and their technological applications. The role of mathematics in the biological, medical and social sciences has been much more modest but has recently grown thanks to the simulation capacity offered by modern computers. This book traces the history of population dynamics---a theoretical subject closely connected to genetics, ecology, epidemiology and demography---where mathematics has brought significant insights. It presents an overview of the genesis of several important themes: exponential growth, from Euler and Malthus to the Chinese one-child policy; the development of stochastic models, from Mendel's laws and the question of extinction of family names to percolation theory for the spread of epidemics, and chaotic populations, where determinism and randomness intertwine. The reader of this book will see, from a different perspective, the problems that scientists face when governments ask for reliable predictions to help control epidemics (AIDS, SARS, swine flu), manage renewable resources (fishing quotas, spread of genetically modified organisms) or anticipate demographic evolutions such as aging.

Social Predation

Social Predation
Author: Guy Beauchamp
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2013-12-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0124076548

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The classic literature on predation dealt almost exclusively with solitary predators and their prey. Going back to Lotka-Volterra and optimal foraging theory, the theory about predation, including predator-prey population dynamics, was developed for solitary species. Various consequences of sociality for predators have been considered only recently. Similarly, while it was long recognized that prey species can benefit from living in groups, research on the adaptive value of sociality for prey species mostly emerged in the 1970s. The main theme of this book is the various ways that predators and prey may benefit from living in groups. The first part focusses on predators and explores how group membership influences predation success rate, from searching to subduing prey. The second part focusses on how prey in groups can detect and escape predators. The final section explores group size and composition and how individuals respond over evolutionary times to the challenges posed by chasing or being chased by animals in groups. This book will help the reader understand current issues in social predation theory and provide a synthesis of the literature across a broad range of animal taxa. Includes the whole taxonomical range rather than limiting it to a select few Features in-depth analysis that allows a better understanding of many subtleties surrounding the issues related to social predation Presents both models and empirical results while covering the extensive predator and prey literature Contains extensive illustrations and separate boxes that cover more technical features, i.e., to present models and review results

Predator Ecology

Predator Ecology
Author: John P. DeLong
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2021
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0192895508

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Predator-prey interactions are ubiquitous, govern the flow of energy up trophic levels, and strongly influence the structure of ecological systems. They are typically quantified using the functional response - the relationship between a predator's foraging rate and the availability of food. As such, the functional response is central to how all ecological communities function - since all communities contain foragers - and a principal driver of the abundance, diversity, and dynamics of ecological communities. The functional response also reflects all the behaviors, traits, and strategies that predators use to hunt prey and that prey use to evade predation. It is thus both a clear reflection of past evolution, including predator-prey arms races, and a major force driving the future evolution of both predator and prey. Despite their importance, there have been remarkably few attempts to synthesize or even briefly review functional responses. This novel and accessible book fills this gap, clearly demonstrating their crucial role as the link between individuals, evolution, and community properties, representing a highly-integrated and measurable aspect of ecological function. It provides a clear entry point for students, a refresher for more advanced researchers, and a motivator for future research. Predator Ecology is an advanced textbook suitable for graduate students and researchers in ecology and evolutionary biology seeking a broad, up-to-date, and authoritative coverage of the field. It will also be of relevance and use to mathematical ecologists, wildlife biologists, and anyone interested in predator-prey interactions.