Overcompensation and population cycles in an ungulate

ABSTRACT ALTHOUGH theoretical studies show that overcompensatory density-dependent mechanisms can potentially generate regular or chaotic fluctuations in animal numbers, the majority of

realistic single-species models of invertebrate populations are not overcompensatory enough to cause sustained population cycles1–3. The possibility that Overcompensation may generate cycles

or chaos in vertebrate populations has seldom been considered. Here we show that highly overcompensating density-dependent mortality can generate recurrent population crashes consistent

with those observed in a naturally limited population of Soay sheep. The observed interval of three or more years between crashes points to sharp 'focusing' of mortality over a

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Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW14RY, UK AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Zoology Department, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK B. T.

Grenfell, O. F. Price, S. D. Albon & T. H. Glutton-Brock Authors * B. T. Grenfell View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * O. F. Price View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * S. D. Albon View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * T. H.

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Grenfell, B., Price, O., Albon, S. _et al._ Overcompensation and population cycles in an ungulate. _Nature_ 355, 823–826 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/355823a0 Download citation *

Received: 24 September 1991 * Accepted: 27 November 1991 * Issue Date: 27 February 1992 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/355823a0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with

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