Introduction to Population Ecology

Larry Rockwood is Professor of Biology and Environmental Science and Policy, and Chairman of the Department of Biology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, USA.  He earned his B.S. degree in Biopsychology and his Ph.D. degree in Biology at the University of Chicago. His early research was conducted in Costa Rica where he studied foraging patterns in leaf-cutting ants.  More recently he has collaborated on a variety of projects from human-coyote conflicts to aspects of avian ecology and plant ecology. He has been teaching introductory ecology, population ecology and tropical ecology for almost 40 years. In 2014 Dr Rockwood was presented with the David J. King Award in recognition of 'outstanding contributions to enhancing teaching and learning' by George Mason University.

• Preface ixAcknowledgments xiAbout the companion website xiiiPart 1 Single species populations 11 Density independent growth 51.1 Introduction 51.2 Fundamentals of population growth 81.3 Types of models 101.4 Density independent versus density dependent growth 121.5 Discrete or "geometric" growth in populations with non-overlapping generations 121.6 Exponential growth in populations with overlapping generations 161.7 Examples of exponential growth 181.8 Applications to human populations 191.9 The finite rate of increase (λ) and the intrinsic rate of increase (τ) 231.10 Stochastic models of population growth and population viability analysis 251.11 Conclusions 30References 302 Density dependent growth and intraspecific competition 332.1 Introduction 332.2 Density dependence in populations with discrete generations 372.3 Density dependence in populations with overlapping generations 422.4 Nonlinear density dependence of birth and death rates and the Allee effect 462.5 Time lags and limit cycles 512.6 Chaos and behavior of the discrete logistic model 532.7 Adding stochasticity to density dependent models 542.8 Laboratory and field data 552.9 Behavioral aspects of intraspecific competition 602.10 Summary 64References 643 Population regulation 693.1 Introduction 693.2 What is population regulation? 703.3 Combining density-dependent and density-independent factors 713.4 Tests of density dependence 733.5 Summary 77References 784 Populations with age structures 814.1 Introduction 814.2 Survivorship 834.3 Fertility 904.4 Mortality curves 944.5 Expectation of life 964.6 Net reproductive rate, generation time, and the intrinsic rate of increase 974.7 Age structure and the stable age distribution 994.8 Projecting population growth in age-structured populations 994.9 The Leslie or population projection matrix 1024.10 A second version of the Leslie matrix 1034.11 The Lefkovitch modification of the Leslie matrix 1044.12 Dominant latent roots and the characteristic equation 1054.13 Reproductive value 1074.14 Conclusions: sensitivity analysis 109References 1125 Metapopulation ecology 1155.1 Introduction 1155.2 Metapopulations and spatial ecology 1165.3 MacArthur and Wilson and the equilibrium theory 1205.4 The Levins or classical metapopulation 1245.5 Lande's extension of the Levins model 1255.6 Extinction in metapopulations 1275.7 Metapopulation dynamics of two local populations 1275.8 Source-sink metapopulations and the rescue effect 1295.9 Nonequilibrium and patchy metapopulations 1305.10 Spatially realistic models 1305.11 Assumptions and evidence for the existence of metapopulations in nature 1355.12 Summary 138References 1396 Life history strategies 1456.1 Introduction 1456.2 Power laws 1496.3 The metabolic theory of ecology 1526.4 Cole and Lewontin 1546.5 The theory of τ- and κ-selection versus fast and slow life histories 1596.6 Cost of reproduction and allocation of energy 1626.7 Clutch size 1636.8 Latitudinal gradients in clutch size 1646.9 The effects of predation and disease on life history characteristics 1656.10 Bet-hedging 1666.11 The Grime general model for three evolutionary strategies in plants 1666.12 Summary 168References 168Part 2 Interspecific interactions among populations 1737 Interspecific competition 1777.1 Introduction 1777.2 Interspecific competition: early experiments and the competitive exclusion principle 1787.3 The Lotka–Volterra competition equations 1807.4 Laboratory experiments and competition 1867.5 Resource-based competition theory 1877.6 Spatial competition and the competition-colonization trade-off 1947.7 Evidence for competition from nature 1967.8 Indirect evidence for competition and "natural experiments" 1987.9 Summary 205References 2058 Mutualism 2098.1 Introduction 2098.2 Ant–plant mutualisms 2108.3 Modeling mutualism 2158.4 Summary: the costs of mutualism 217References 2179 Host–parasite interactions 2219.1 Introduction 2219.2 Factors affecting microparasite population biology 2239.3 Modeling host–microparasite interactions 2249.4 Dynamics of the disease 2269.5 Immunization 2299.6 Endangered metapopulations and disease 2309.7 Social parasites 2329.8 Summary 235References 23510 Predator/prey interactions 23910.1 Introduction 23910.2 The Lotka-Volterra equations 24810.3 Early tests of the Lotka–Volterra models 25010.4 Functional responses 25210.5 Adding prey density dependence and the type II and III functional responses to the Lotka-Volterra equations 25610.6 The graphical analyses of Rosenzweig and MacArthur 25810.7 Use of a half saturation constant in predator/prey interactions 26210.8 Parasitoid/host interactions and the Nicholson–Bailey models 26410.9 Section summary 26710.10 Field studies 26810.11 The dangers of a predatory lifestyle 27710.12 Escape from predation 27710.13 Summary 281References 28211 Plant–herbivore interactions 28711.1 Introduction 28711.2 Classes of chemical defenses 28911.3 Constitutive versus Induced Defense 29411.4 Plant communication 29611.5 Novel defenses/herbivore responses 29611.6 Detoxification of plant compounds by herbivores 29711.7 Plant apparency and chemical defense 29811.8 Soil fertility and chemical defense 29911.9 Modeling plant–herbivore population dynamics 29911.10 Summary: the complexities of herbivore–plant interactions 303References 30612 Multi-trophic interactions 311Jonathan Witt12.1 Introduction 31112.2 Trophic cascades 31212.3 Trophic cascades and antropogenic change 31712.4 Intraguild predation 31912.5 Intraguild predation and prey suppression 32112.6 Intraguild predation and mesopredator release 32212.7 Cannibalism 323References 326Appendix 1: Problem sets 333Appendix 2: Matrix algebra: the basics 337Appendix 3: List of mathematical symbols used in this book 343Index 351