Plant-Feeding by Arthropod Predators Contributes to the Stability of Predator-Prey Population Dynamics

Here, we expand on the analysis of Coll and Izraylevich (1997) and further explore the influence of plant-feeding on the stability of predator-prey dynamics. Plant feeding by omnivorous arthropod predators is apparently common in nature, although the results of Coll and Izraylevich (1997) predict de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oikos 1999-12, Vol.87 (3), p.603-608
Main Authors: Lalonde, R. G., McGregor, R. R., Gillespie, D. R., Roitberg, B. D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Arthropoda
Biological and medical sciences
City states
Ecological life histories
Food
Forum
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Herbivores
Omnivores
Plants
Population density
Population dynamics
Population ecology
Predators
Synecology
Terrestrial ecosystems
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Summary:Here, we expand on the analysis of Coll and Izraylevich (1997) and further explore the influence of plant-feeding on the stability of predator-prey dynamics. Plant feeding by omnivorous arthropod predators is apparently common in nature, although the results of Coll and Izraylevich (1997) predict decreases in population stability with increasing herbivory by predators. We present the results of stability analyses of both discrete- and continuous-time predator-prey models similar to those presented by Coll and Izraylevich (1997) where we vary the degree of plant-feeding in the predator population. Our objective is to reconcile the apparent contradiction between the persistence of plant-feeding predators in natural systems, and the theoretical prediction of the destabilizing influence of this special form of omnivory. Our results reveal a more complex relationship between omnivory and stability than was discussed by Coll and Izraylevich (1997). However, we show that system stability varies in a predictable manner with the tendency for predators to exhibit plant feeding, and that omnivory stabilizes interactions over a wide range of parameter space.
ISSN:0030-1299
1600-0706
DOI:10.2307/3546827