Search Results - (Author, Cooperation:P. H. Warren)

2016-01-30

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

0036-8075

1095-9203

Biology

Chemistry and Pharmacology

Computer Science

Medicine

Natural Sciences in General

Physics

1432-1939

Key words Occupancy ; Habitat quality ; Distribution ; Pond ; Backswimmer

Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000

Biology

Abstract  Simple metapopulation models assume that local populations occur in patches of uniform quality habitat separated by non-habitat. However field metapopulations tend to show considerable spatial and temporal variation in patch quality, and hence probability of occupancy. This may have implications for the adequacy of simple metapopulation models in describing and predicting regional population dynamics of natural systems. This study investigated the effects of habitat characteristics on landscape-scale occupancy dynamics of two species of backswimmer (Notonecta, Hemiptera: Notonectidae) in small freshwater ponds. The results demonstrated clear links between habitat, pond occupancy and population turnover, particularly local extinction. There were considerable changes in the habitat of individual ponds between years, but local changes were not spatially correlated and the frequency distribution of habitat conditions at the landscape level remained similar in different years. Stable occupancy levels of Notonecta species appears to result from a balance of the rates of creation and loss of suitable habitat due to spatially uncorrelated habitat change. Systems such as this, where turnover is driven by habitat dynamics, demonstrate the potential value of incorporating the dynamics of habitat change into metapopulation models. Such developments are likely to improve predictions of landscape-scale occupancy dynamics, whilst also allowing patch-level predictions of occupancy, based on local habitat conditions.

Electronic Resource

1432-1939

Food webs ; Cascade model ; Body size

Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000

Biology

Summary It has been suggested by Cohen and Newman (1985) that many of the patterns in published food webs can be derived from a stochastic model in which the species are arranged in a trophic hierarchy (the ‘cascade model’). We suggest that, if predators are larger than their prey, a trophic hierarchy can be generated on the basis of body size Empirical evidence from the literature shows that there is a positive relationship between predator and prey size for a range of invertebrates and that predators are usually larger than their prey. Using experimental data on an aquatic food web we show that body size can lead to the type of trophic hierarchy used in the cascade model, suggesting that many food web patterns may be a product of body size. This conclusion is discussed with respect to the limitations of the food web data and the relationship between ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’ models of web structure.

Electronic Resource