Density, climate and varying return points: an analysis of long-term population fluctuations in the threatened European tree frog.
- Pellet J Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biology Building, 1015, Dorigny, Switzerland. jerome.pellet@amaibach.ch
- Schmidt BR
- Fivaz F
- Perrin N
- Grossenbacher K
- 2006-06-17
Published in:
- Oecologia. - 2006
Animals
Anura
Climate
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecosystem
Longitudinal Studies
Models, Theoretical
Population Density
Population Dynamics
Switzerland
English
Experimental research has identified many putative agents of amphibian decline, yet the population-level consequences of these agents remain unknown, owing to lack of information on compensatory density dependence in natural populations. Here, we investigate the relative importance of intrinsic (density-dependent) and extrinsic (climatic) factors impacting the dynamics of a tree frog (Hyla arborea) population over 22 years. A combination of log-linear density dependence and rainfall (with a 2-year time lag corresponding to development time) explain 75% of the variance in the rate of increase. Such fluctuations around a variable return point might be responsible for the seemingly erratic demography and disequilibrium dynamics of many amphibian populations.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- green
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1007/s00442-006-0432-1
- PMID 16779559
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/278016
Statistics
Document views: 25
File downloads:
- Full-text: 0