WLF 448: Fish & Wildlife Population Ecology

Fall 2006

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Natural Regulation of Populations (natregul.cpl)

A. Introduction

1. Examples of natural regulation

2. Characteristics of fluctuations

B. General Theories

1. Biotic factors

2. Climate

3. Food - D. Lack

4. Comprehensive approach

Comprehensive school

A. Classify factors:

  • Weather
  • Food
  • Other animals and pathogens
  • A place to live

B. Limitation may occure:

  • Shortage of material resources
  • Inaccessibility of material resources
  • Shortage of time when r is positive

C. Worked on insects in very dry climates - Australia - harsh environment

5. Self regulation

6. Summary of potential factors

C. Population Cycles

1. Examples

2. Hypothesis

D. Classic Studies

1. Red grouse

2. Snowshoe hare

3. Microtines

4. Other

E. Methods

1. Time series analysis

2. K-factor analysis

F. Student Responsibilities

  1. Be able to discuss various characteristics of numerical fluctuations.

  2. Summarize the arguments of the biotic, climatic, food and self regulation schools of thought.

  3. Be able to identify potentially regulating factors for any animal population and explain the mechanisms by which they affect population size.

  4. What are the hypothesized causes of population cycles?

  5. What regulates populations of red grouse and snowshoe hares?

  6. What is Christian's hypothesis on microtines?

  7. What is Chitty's hypothesis on microtines?

  8. What is Myer's and Kreb's model for microtines?

  9. What is Schultz's model?

  10. What types of data can be used in time series analysis?

  11. How is K-factor analysis performed?

G. References on Population Regulation

General:

Keith, L. B. 1963. Wildlife's ten-year cycle. Madison. 201pp.

Lack, D. 1954. The natural regulation of animal numbers. Oxford. Chapters 19 and 20:204-242.

McLaren, I. A. (ed.). 1971. Natural regulation of animal populations. Atherton Press, N.Y. 195pp.

Slobodkin, L. B. 1961. Growth and regulation of animal populations. New York. Chapter 14:153-159.

Watson, A. (ed.). 1970. Animal populations in relation to their food resources. Blackwell Scientific Publications. Oxford. 477pp.

Cycles:

Adams, L. 1959. An analysis of a population of snowshoe hares in northwestern Montana. Ecol. Monogr. 29(2):141-170.

Bergerud, A. T. 1971. The population dynamics of Newfoundland caribou. Wildl. Monogr. 25:55pp. (Cycles of lynx and snowshoe, effects on caribou).

Chitty, D. 1955. Adverse effects of population density upon the viability of later generations. In: The numbers of man and animals. Edinburgh.

Chitty, D. 1957. Self regulation of numbers through changes in viability. Cold Springs Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 22nd:277-280.

Christian, J. J. 1950. The adreno-pituitary system and population cycles in mammals. Jour. Mamm. 31(3):247-259.

Christian, J. J. 1961. Phenomena associated with population density. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U. S. Vol. 47(4):428-449.

Cohen, M. N., R. S. Malpass, and H. G. Klein (eds.). 1980. Biosocial mechanisms of population regulation. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, Conn. 406pp.

Cole, L. C. 1951. Population cycles and random oscillations. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 15(8):233-252.

Cole, L. C. 1954. Some features of random population cycles. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 18(1):2-24.

Cross, E. C. 1940. Periodic fluctuations in numbers of red fox in Ontario. Jour. Mamm. 21(3):294-306.

Elton, C. 1942. Voles, mice and lemmings: problems in population dynamics. London. 496pp.

Errington, P. L. 1957. Of population cycles and unknowns. Cold Springs Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 22nd:287-300.

Finnerty, J. P. 1976. The population ecology of cycles in small mammals. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, Conn. 234pp.

Fowler, C. W., and T. D. Smith (eds.). 1981. Dynamics of large mammal populations. John Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y. 477pp.

Frank, F. 1957. The causality of microtine cycles in Germany. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 21(2):113-121.

Gullion, G. W. 1967. Factors affecting ruffed grouse populations in the boreal forests of northern Minn. U.S.A. Trans. Inter. Cong. Game Biologists VIII:103-117.

Hoffmann, R. S. 1958. The role of reproduction and mortality in population fluctuations of voles (Microtus). Ecol. Monogr. 28(1):79-109.

Jenkins, D., A. Watson, and G. Miller. 1967. Population fluctuations in the red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus). Jour. Anil. Ecol. 36(1):97-122.

Korringa, P. 1947. Relations between the moon and periodicity in the breeding of marine animals. Ecol. Monogr. 17:347-381.

Koskimies, J. 1956. Ultimate causes of cyclic fluctuations in numbers in animal populations. Papers on Game Research 15:29pp.

Krebs, C. J. 1966. Demographic changes in fluctuating populations of Microtus californicus. Ecol. Monogr. 36(3):239-273.

Krebs, C. J. 1970. The lemming cycle at Baker Lake, Northwest Territories, during 1959-62. In: Population Ecology. Edited by L. Adams. Belmont:8-31.

Lack, D. 1954. Cyclic mortality. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 18(1):23-37.

Mackenzie, J. 1952. Fluctuations in the numbers of British tetraonids. Jour. Anil. Ecol. 21:128-153.

Marshall, W. H. 1954. Ruffed grouse and snowshoe hare populations. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 18(1):109-112.

Meslow, E. C., and L. B. Keith. 1968. Demographic parameters of a snowshoe hare population. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 32(4):812-834.

Moreland, R. 1950. Success of chukar partridge in the state of Wash. Trans. North Amer. Wildl. Conf. 15th:399-409.

Pitelka, F. A. 1957. Some aspects of population structure in the short-term cycle of the brown lemming in northern Alaska. Cold. Springs Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 22nd:237-251.

Rowan, W. 1950. The coming peak of the ten-year cycle in Canada. Trans. North Amer. Wildl. Conf. 15th:379-383.

Rusch, D. H., and L. B. Keith. 1971. Seasonal and annual trends in numbers of Alberta ruffed grouse. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 35(4):803-822.

Schultz, A. M. 1969. A study of an ecosystem: the arctic tundra. Pp. 77-93 In: Van Dyne, G. M. (ed.). The ecosystem concept in natural resource management. Academic Press, N.Y. 383pp.

Siivonen, L. 1957. Fluctuations in populations of the partridge and the European hare, their causes and the prevention of declines. Suomen Riista 11:7-28.

Siivonen, L. 1957. The problem of the short-term fluctuations in numbers of tetraonids in Europe. Papers on Game Research 19:44pp.

Thompson, D. Q. 1955. The 1953 lemming emigration at Point Barrow, Alaska. Arctic 8:37-45.

Watson, A. 1965. A population study of ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) in Scotland. Jour. Anil. Ecol. 34(1):135-172.

Watson, A. (ed.). 1970. Animal populations in relation to their food resources. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford. 477pp.

Watt, A. S. 1947. Pattern and process in the plant community. Jour. Ecol. 35:1-22. (Plant cycling in a heather community).

Williams, G. R. 1954. Population fluctuations in some northern hemisphere game birds. Jour. Anil. Ecol. 23(1):1-34.

Revised: 25 August 2011