Premium
Linear analysis solves two puzzles in population dynamics: the route to extinction and extinction in coloured environments
Author(s) -
Jörgen Ripa,
Mikko Heino
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1461-0248.1999.00073.x
Subject(s) - extinction (optical mineralogy) , simple (philosophy) , population , autocorrelation , ecology , predictive power , extinction event , explanatory power , statistical physics , econometrics , biology , mathematics , statistics , physics , demography , epistemology , paleontology , sociology , philosophy , quantum mechanics , biological dispersal
In this paper, we give simple explanations to two unsolved puzzles that have emerged in recent theoretical studies in population dynamics. First, the tendency of some model populations to go extinct from high population densities, and second, the positive effect of autocorrelated environments on extinction risks for some model populations. Both phenomena are given general explanations by simple, linear, sto‐chastic models. We emphasize the predictive and explanatory power of such models.