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Not all disturbances are created equal: disturbance magnitude affects predator–prey populations more than disturbance frequency
Author(s) -
Commander Christian J. C.,
White J. Wilson
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
oikos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.672
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1600-0706
pISSN - 0030-1299
DOI - 10.1111/oik.06376
Subject(s) - disturbance (geology) , trophic level , ecology , population , predation , abundance (ecology) , population cycle , predator , magnitude (astronomy) , biology , competition (biology) , physics , demography , paleontology , astronomy , sociology
Disturbance plays a key role in ecological structure and function. Two important and often studied components of disturbance are frequency and magnitude. Despite the potential for non‐linear interactions between frequency and magnitude, their effects are often assumed to combine in a linear manner. Additionally, studies of disturbance have mainly examined effects on species diversity and competitive interactions within a single trophic level, with less focus on exploitative interactions across trophic levels. Furthermore, while the effects of disturbance are often viewed in terms of reducing population abundance, disturbances can also alter demographic processes, ‘indirectly’ changing abundances. We analyzed several classic dynamic models of species interactions to examine the effects of varying disturbance frequency and magnitude on population persistence in predator–prey and competition systems. Our analysis revealed the potential for non‐linear interactions between frequency and magnitude and their effect on population persistence. Effects differed depending on the form of population dynamics and whether disturbance affected abundance or demographic rates. It is critical to management efforts aiming to improve chances of population persistence to further understand the effects of varying disturbances on interacting populations.