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The impact of specialized enemies on the dimensionality of host dynamics

Author

Listed:
  • Ottar N. Bjørnstad

    (National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
    Department of Entomology)

  • Steven M. Sait

    (Population and Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, PO Box 147)

  • Nils C. Stenseth

    (University of Oslo, PO Box 1050 Blindern)

  • David J. Thompson

    (Population and Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, PO Box 147)

  • Michael Begon

    (Population and Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, PO Box 147)

Abstract

Although individual species persist within a web of interactions with other species, data are usually gathered only from the focal species itself. We ask whether evidence of a species’ interactions be detected and understood from patterns in the dynamics of that species alone. Theory predicts that strong coupling between a prey and a specialist predator/parasite should lead to an increase in the dimensionality of the prey's dynamics, whereas weak coupling should not. Here we describe a rare test of this prediction. Two natural enemies were added separately to replicate populations of a moth. For biological reasons that we identify here, the prediction of increased dimensionality was confirmed when a parasitoid wasp was added (although this increase had subtleties not previously appreciated), but the prediction failed for an added virus. Thus, an imprint of the interactions may be discerned within time-series data from component species of a system.

Suggested Citation

  • Ottar N. Bjørnstad & Steven M. Sait & Nils C. Stenseth & David J. Thompson & Michael Begon, 2001. "The impact of specialized enemies on the dimensionality of host dynamics," Nature, Nature, vol. 409(6823), pages 1001-1006, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:409:y:2001:i:6823:d:10.1038_35059003
    DOI: 10.1038/35059003
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    Cited by:

    1. J Timothy Wootton & James D Forester, 2013. "Complex Population Dynamics in Mussels Arising from Density-Linked Stochasticity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(9), pages 1-12, September.
    2. Tobias Brett & Marco Ajelli & Quan-Hui Liu & Mary G Krauland & John J Grefenstette & Willem G van Panhuis & Alessandro Vespignani & John M Drake & Pejman Rohani, 2020. "Detecting critical slowing down in high-dimensional epidemiological systems," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-19, March.

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