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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Utah State University

Series

Population dynamics

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Genetic Variation Determines Which Feedbacks Drive And Alter Predator–Prey Eco-Evolutionary Cycles, Michael H. Cortez Apr 2018

Genetic Variation Determines Which Feedbacks Drive And Alter Predator–Prey Eco-Evolutionary Cycles, Michael H. Cortez

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Evolution can alter the ecological dynamics of communities, but the effects depend on the magnitudes of standing genetic variation in the evolving species. Using an eco‐coevolutionary predator–prey model, I identify how the magnitudes of prey and predator standing genetic variation determine when ecological, evolutionary, and eco‐evolutionary feedbacks influence system stability and the phase lags in predator–prey cycles. Here, feedbacks are defined by subsystems, i.e., the dynamics of a subset of the components of the whole system when the other components are held fixed; ecological (evolutionary) feedbacks involve the direct and indirect effects between population densities (species traits) and eco‐evolutionary feedbacks …


Patterns In Greater Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics Correspond With Public Grazing Records At Broad Scales, Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge, Timothy J. Assal, Kari E. Veblen, David A. Pyke, Michael L. Casazza Mar 2017

Patterns In Greater Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics Correspond With Public Grazing Records At Broad Scales, Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge, Timothy J. Assal, Kari E. Veblen, David A. Pyke, Michael L. Casazza

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Human land use, such as livestock grazing, can have profound yet varied effects on wildlife interacting within common ecosystems, yet our understanding of land-use effects is often generalized from short-term, local studies that may not correspond with trends at broader scales. Here we used public land records to characterize livestock grazing across Wyoming, USA, and we used Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as a model organism to evaluate responses to livestock management. With annual counts of male Sage-grouse from 743 leks (breeding display sites) during 2004-2014, we modeled population trends in response to grazing level (represented by a relative grazing index) …