Publications [#231423] of William G. Wilson
Papers Published
- Wilson, WG; Nisbet, RM; Ross, AH; Robles, C; Desharnais, RA, Abrupt population changes along smooth environmental gradients,
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, vol. 58 no. 5
(January, 1996),
pp. 907-922, Springer Nature [doi]
(last updated on 2024/04/24)Abstract:
Populations often exhibit abrupt changes in abundance associated with a smooth, continuous change in some component of their environment, with the abruptness usually attributed to inter-specific interactions or physical extremes. This paper presents a spatially explicit single-species population model in which intra-specific interactions alone are responsible for such an abrupt change. The essential mechanism involves cooperation in both colonization (through enhanced recruitment near other individuals) and mortality (protection through a 'safety-in-numbers' interaction). Large fluctuations in population density would likely be observable near the transition region.