Generation time and temporal scaling of bird population dynamics

Bernt-Erik Sæther (), Russell Lande, Steinar Engen, Henri Weimerskirch, Magnar Lillegård, Res Altwegg, Peter H. Becker, Thomas Bregnballe, Jon E. Brommer, Robin H. McCleery, Juha Merilä, Erik Nyholm, Wallace Rendell, Raleigh R. Robertson, Piotr Tryjanowski and Marcel E. Visser
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Bernt-Erik Sæther: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Russell Lande: University of California San Diego
Steinar Engen: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Henri Weimerskirch: CEBC – CNRS
Magnar Lillegård: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Res Altwegg: University of Victoria
Peter H. Becker: Institut für Vogelforschung, Vogelwarte Helgoland
Thomas Bregnballe: National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Coastal Zone Ecology, Kalø
Jon E. Brommer: University of Helsinki
Robin H. McCleery: University of Oxford
Juha Merilä: University of Helsinki
Erik Nyholm: Umeå University
Wallace Rendell: Loyalist College
Raleigh R. Robertson: Queen's University
Piotr Tryjanowski: Adam Mickiewicz University
Marcel E. Visser: Netherlands Institute of Ecology

Nature, 2005, vol. 436, issue 7047, 99-102

Abstract: Abstract Theoretical studies have shown that variation in density regulation strongly influences population dynamics1, yet our understanding of factors influencing the strength of density dependence in natural populations still is limited2. Consequently, few general hypotheses have been advanced to explain the large differences between species in the magnitude of population fluctuations3,4,5,6. One reason for this is that the detection of density regulation in population time series is complicated by time lags induced by the life history of species7,8 that make it difficult to separate the relative contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors to the population dynamics. Here we use population time series for 23 bird species to estimate parameters of a stochastic density-dependent age-structured model. We show that both the strength of total density dependence in the life history and the magnitude of environmental stochasticity, including transient fluctuations in age structure, increase with generation time. These results indicate that the relationships between demographic and life-history traits in birds9,10 translate into distinct population dynamical patterns that are apparent only on a scale of generations.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature03666

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