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Computer simulation study on the cyclicities of Tribolium population dynamics
Author(s) -
Fujii Koichi
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
population ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1438-390X
pISSN - 1438-3896
DOI - 10.1007/bf02518824
Subject(s) - cannibalism , biology , population , schedule , population cycle , set (abstract data type) , dynamics (music) , ecology , demography , larva , computer science , predation , psychology , sociology , programming language , operating system , pedagogy
Summary Under a set of assumptions, a mathematical model was constructed to investigate the effect of cannibalistic behavior and medium renewal schedule on Tribolium population dynamics, and the results of simulation analyses were presented to show how modelling can contribute to a better understanding of experimental study. The analyses of the present model, the main concern of which is the cyclicity in Tribolium population. showed that there are two distinct factors which create cyclicity, the cannibalistic behavior in Tribolium itself, and the medium renewal schedule. Cannibalism per se does not necessarily cause cyclicity, but the combinations of cannibalistic behavior among various life stages and their relative intensities among them can cause cyclicity and can also determine the period of cycle. External factors also can generate cyclicity, but their interaction with cannibalistic behavior has a more significant effect in modifying the period of cycle. Some discrepancies between the model and experimental results were discussed.