Dynamics of Large Herbivore Populations in Changing Environments

Norman Owen-Smith has a special interest in the behavioural and population ecology of large mammalian herbivores. After obtaining his PhD for a study of white rhinos through the University of Wisconsin, he held appointments at the universities of Pretoria and Zimbabwe before settling into a position at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he headed the Centre for African Ecology.

• Contributors Preface1 Definitive case studiesNorman Owen-Smith and Jason P. Marshal1.1 Red deer on Rum1.2 Soay sheep on Hirta1.3 Roe deer in France1.4 Bighorn sheep in Alberta1.5 Kudu in Kruger1.6 Wildebeest in Serengeti1.7 Moose on Isle Royale1.8 Elk in North Yellowstone1.9 OverviewAcknowledgmentsReferences2 The suite of population modelsNorman Owen-Smith2.1 Models of density dependence2.2 Autoregressive time-series models2.3 Age- or stage-structured models2.4 Trophic interaction models2.5 Physiological or metaphysiological models2.6 Models accommodating spatial structure2.7 Individual-based models2.8 OverviewAcknowledgmentsReferences3 Climatic influences: temperate–tropical contrastsNorman Owen-Smith3.1 Temperate environments3.2 Tropical and subtropical environments3.3 Effects of predation and hunting3.4 Overall assessmentAcknowledgmentsReferences4 Demographic processes: lessons from long-term, individual-based studiesJean-Michel Gaillard, Tim Coulson and Marco Festa-Bianchet4.1 Life history of large herbivores: a brief review4.2 Differential contributions of demographic parameters to population growth4.3 Climatic variation, density-dependence,andindividual variability4.4 Conclusions:howcanfutureanalysesof largeherbivoredemography deal with complex demographic processes?AcknowledgmentsReferences5 Irruptive dynamics and vegetation interactionsJohn E. Gross, Iain J. Gordon and Norman Owen-Smith5.1 Models of herbivore–vegetation interactions5.2 Examples of irruptive dynamics5.3 Effects of irruptions on vegetation5.4 Changing perspectives5.5 Synthesis5.6 Implications for conservation and managementAcknowledgmentsReferences6 How does landscape heterogeneity shape dynamics of large herbivore populations?N. Thompson Hobbs and Iain J. Gordon6.1 What is spatial heterogeneity?6.2 How does spatial heterogeneity influence ungulate population dynamics?6.3 Mechanisms explaining the influence of spatial heterogeneity on population dynamics6.4 Influences from high-quality resources6.5 Influences from buffer resources6.6 Global change and access to heterogeneity by large herbivores6.7 Conclusions: the importance of spatial context for population dynamicsAcknowledgmentsReferences7 Towards an ecology of population dynamicsNorman Owen-Smith7.1 Phenomenological descriptors7.2 Time series elaborations7.3 Environmental structure7.4 Population structure7.5 Adaptive responses and environmental contexts7.6 Summary and conclusionsAcknowledgmentsReferencesIndex

"It is well written and provides extensively researched examples. Surprisingly, it is a relatively short book of only 201 pages." (African Journal of Range & Forage Science, 2011)