Cyclic Dynamics in a Simple Vertebrate Predator-Prey Community

The collared lemming in the high-Arctic tundra in Greenland is preyed upon by four species of predators that show marked differences in the numbers of lemmings each consumes and in the dependence of their dynamics on lemming density. A predator-prey model based on the field-estimated predator respon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2003-10, Vol.302 (5646), p.866-868
Main Authors: Gilg, Olivier, Hanski, Ilkka, Sittler, Benoît
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alopex lagopus
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Arvicolinae - growth & development
Arvicolinae - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Birds - physiology
Carnivora - physiology
Coastal ecology
Demecology
Dicrostonyx torquatus
Ecosystem
Female
Foxes
Foxes - physiology
Functional responses
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Greenland
Male
Mammalia
Modeling
Models, Biological
Mustela erminea
Nyctea scandiaca
Owls
Population Density
Population Dynamics
Population ecology
Predation
Predators
Predatory Behavior
Seasons
Snowmelt
Stercorarius longicaudus
Strigiformes - physiology
Synecology
Terrestrial ecosystems
Vertebrata
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Summary:The collared lemming in the high-Arctic tundra in Greenland is preyed upon by four species of predators that show marked differences in the numbers of lemmings each consumes and in the dependence of their dynamics on lemming density. A predator-prey model based on the field-estimated predator responses robustly predicts 4-year periodicity in lemming dynamics, in agreement with long-term empirical data. There is no indication in the field that food or space limits lemming population growth, nor is there need in the model to consider those factors. The cyclic dynamics are driven by a 1-year delay in the numerical response of the stoat and stabilized by strongly density-dependent predation by the arctic fox, the snowy owl, and the long-tailed skua.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1087509