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Optimization of harvesting age in an integral age-dependent model of population dynamics.

The paper deals with optimal control in a linear integral age-dependent model of population dynamics. A problem for maximizing the harvesting return on a finite time horizon is formulated and analyzed. The optimal controls are the harvesting age and the rate of population removal by harvesting. The gradient and necessary condition for an extremum are derived. A qualitative analysis of the problem is provided. The model shows the presence of a zero-investment period. A preliminary asymptotic analysis indicates possible turnpike properties of the optimal harvesting age. Biological interpretation of all results is provided.

Age Factors↗

Population dynamics of Cosmoclopius nigroannulatus Stal (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) in tobacco culture.

The role of predators influencing populations of insects considered as pests is extremely important for agroecosystems. The population ecology of Cosmoclopius nigroannulatus, a predatory reduvid associated with the tobacco culture was investigated aiming to study the population dynamics of adults, along the culture cycle. In an experimental plot of approximately 300 m2, in Porto Alegre (30 degrees 0'S; 51 degrees 13'W), RS, Brazil, 270 tobacco plants were grown; each plant identified by alphanumeric coordinates. Using the mark-release-recapture method, daily samplings were done from August to December 1999, and three times a week from this date until April 2000. The adults were captured by hand, marked, sexed and released on the same plant they were captured. The individual number and plant coordinate were registered. Population estimates were analyzed by the Fisher-Ford method. In 107 sampling occasions, 604 individuals were marked, 273 males and 331 females. Three generations of C. nigroannulatus were registered during the culture cycle. The colonizing generation was represented by 14 males and 15 females (a sex ratio of 0.48), the first by 109 males and 137 females (0.44) and the second by 150 males and 179 females (0.46). The estimated daily survival rate varied between generations decreasing from 98% in the colonizing generation to 87% in the second. The observed longevity or permanence time in the experimental area varied significantly among generations, being at about 40 days in the colonizing generation, 13 days in the first and 5 days in the second. It was observed that as the population increases, the survival and/or permanence time in the area decreases, suggesting a relation between this and a decline in the available resources probably with an associated increase in intra-specific competition.

Animals↗

Population dynamics with a stable efficient equilibrium.

We propose a game-theoretic dynamics of a population of replicating individuals. It consists of two parts: the standard replicator one and a migration between two different habitats. We consider symmetric two-player games with two evolutionarily stable strategies: the efficient one in which the population is in a state with a maximal payoff and the risk-dominant one where players are averse to risk. We show that for a large range of parameters of our dynamics, even if the initial conditions in both habitats are in the basin of attraction of the risk-dominant equilibrium (with respect to the standard replication dynamics without migration), in the long run most individuals play the efficient strategy.

Animals↗

[Population dynamics and infestation with Bulinus globosus in a Sudan-Sahelien zone of Cameroon].

The population dynamics of Bulinus globosus was followed at seasonal and perennial habitats in three villages in the Extreme North Province, Cameroon, known to have high prevalences of Schistosoma haematobium. The study covered 2 rainy and 1 dry season between June 1987 to November 1988. Of several environmental factors monitored, only rainfall and the resulting changes in water level were strongly correlated with changes in snail density, and even then only when values were at their extremes. In seasonal pools, adult snails emerge from estivation and begin laying eggs shortly after the first rains. A decline in the number of larger snails 3 to 6 weeks later suggests a die off of the founding population. In general, the population density increases modestly during the rainy season and then rapidly declines after torrential rains have ended in September or October. Adults are again dominate just before the habitats dry up. In seasonal streams, population densities fluctuate dramatically in association with rainfall and subsequent flooding, and populations stabilize only after the torrential rains have ceased. Unlike populations in temporary ponds, young snails constituted a large percentage of the population very late in the season. In perennial habitats, seasonal fluctuations in population density were related to manipulation of water levels in a rice irrigation scheme. The lowest densities occurred when the water levels were at their most extreme levels, between November and April. But declines in the population densities often preceded significant changes in the water level, indicating that this factor alone is not responsible for these declines. Of the B. globosus shedding schistosome cercariae, more than 90% were infected with S. haematobium and the remainder with S. bovis. Of 153 infected B. globosus, 87% were found in seasonal habitats. In those sites the first infected snails were found in July but the large numbers were not present until late August and September. Infected snails declined rapidly before the final decline in the general population of B. globosus in November and December. In perennial habitats, infected snails were most common in May and June, just before and early in the rainy season. These findings may prove useful in developing more effective schistosomiasis control measures in sahelian climates.

Animals↗

Interactions between climate, host refuge use, and tick population dynamics.

The relationship between Australian sleepy lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) microhabitat use and tick (Amblyomma limbatum) population dynamics was investigated. Over 3 years (2002-2004) between 23 and 50 lizards were radio-tracked up to four times a week to record microhabitat use and each fortnight to determine tick loads. Daily maximum temperature was highly predictive of lizard microhabitat use. In hotter fortnights lizards used larger bushes and burrows for refuge. Peak background tick infestation levels and pulses of attachment coincided with higher ambient temperature. Male ticks attached throughout the year independent of season. Engorged females detached late in spring, summer and autumn, when climate regularly restricted lizards to a few thermally conservative refuges. Peak nymph and larval attachment occurred over summer and into autumn. Climate-dependent timing and type of host refuge use may influence tick population density. In more temperate summers lizards may avoid refuges with potentially high parasite loads.

Animals↗

Population dynamics of mutant alleles under maternal effect in plant populations.

Fitness interactions via maternal effects were analyzed by constructing a mathematical model. Here, the fitness of an individual is determined by its own phenotype and the maternal phenotype. It is assumed that two alternative phenotypic states are determined by two alleles at a single locus. Under this assumption, the model developed here reduces to a social selection model of human populations that considers that the fitness of an individual is determined by the individual as well as the parental phenotypes. The effect on genetic variability of random fluctuations in the magnitude of maternal effects was studied by considering the fixation probability and the equilibrium frequency of mutant genes. It is shown that genetic variability decreases as the magnitude of variation in maternal effect intensity increases.

Alleles↗

Effects of temperature and salinity on Vibrio vulnificus population dynamics as assessed by quantitative PCR.

The abundance of Vibrio vulnificus in coastal environments has been linked to water temperature, while its relationship to salinity is less clear. We have developed a culture-independent, most-probable-number quantitative PCR approach to examine V. vulnificus population dynamics in Barnegat Bay, N.J. Based on the combined analysis of our results from Barnegat Bay and from the literature, the present data show that (i) V. vulnificus population dynamics are strongly correlated to water temperature and (ii) although the general trend is for V. vulnificus abundance to be inversely correlated with salinity, this relationship depends on salinity levels. Irrespective of temperature, high abundances of V. vulnificus are observed at 5 to 10 ppt, which thus appears to be the optimal salinity regime for their survival. At 20 to 25 ppt, V. vulnificus abundances show a positive correlation to salinity. Unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate V. vulnificus, combined with our inability to detect cells during the winter despite an assay adapted to detect viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells, suggest that the decline and eventual disappearance of V. vulnificus from the water column during the winter months is due primarily to a significant reduction in population size and is not only the consequence of cells entering the VBNC state. These findings are in line with the hypothesis that the sediment serves as a refuge for a subpopulation of V. vulnificus over the winter and weather-driven mixing events during the spring initiate a summer bloom in the water column.

Chlorophyll↗

Field observations on the population dynamics of Bulinus globosus, the intermediate host of Schistosoma haematobium in the Ifakara area, Tanzania.

The population dynamics of Bulinus globosus were studied in a stream and an adjacent pool near Ifakara, Tanzania. Experiments with caged snails were used to determine fecundity, hatching rates, growth and mortality. Growth and mortality rates were also estimated for the natural population from successive size frequency distributions. Oviposition began in snails as small as 6.6 mm and there was a positive correlation between the size of the snails at oviposition and the number of embryos per egg mass. Fecundity was season-dependent. In the pool, snail growth was constant throughout the year, while in the stream, growth was markedly reduced during the rainy season. Mortality rates correlated with fluctuations in snail population density and were highest during the rainy season and among young snails. The high intrinsic rate of natural increase observed for B. globosus enables it to exist in habitats which alternate frequently between favorable and adverse conditions.

Animals↗

Population dynamics of Gyrodactylus salaris (Monogenea) infecting Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, parr in the river Batnfjordselva, Norway.

Population dynamics of Gyrodactylus salaris on 5 year classes of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in the river Batnfjordselva in Norway was studied from April 1991 to June 1994. Prevalence was 100% on all year classes throughout the study period, except for a marked decline in winter and spring of 1992. Median abundance generally increased during summer and peaked in September/October at levels between 400 and 1,300 parasites. The lowest number of parasites was observed during winter and spring. The seasonal dynamics in the first year of the study differed markedly from the remainder of the study, abundance peaked already in June/July on 1+ and 2+ fish the first year, but decreased throughout summer and peaked again in autumn. A collapse in the G. salaris population was observed in the winter of 1991/1992, with prevalence being 0-40% on all year classes. Parr aged 2 yr harbored significantly fewer parasites than younger parr during the winter months. Parasite intensity on precocious males was significantly higher than on sexually immature males and females. Gyrodactylus salaris was found on the fins (76%), gill filaments (15%), and head/body (9%). During the last 2 yr of the study the gills were increasingly infected, with 40% of the parasites found on gills in some samples.

Age Factors↗

Bayesian coalescent inference of past population dynamics from molecular sequences.

We introduce the Bayesian skyline plot, a new method for estimating past population dynamics through time from a sample of molecular sequences without dependence on a prespecified parametric model of demographic history. We describe a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling procedure that efficiently samples a variant of the generalized skyline plot, given sequence data, and combines these plots to generate a posterior distribution of effective population size through time. We apply the Bayesian skyline plot to simulated data sets and show that it correctly reconstructs demographic history under canonical scenarios. Finally, we compare the Bayesian skyline plot model to previous coalescent approaches by analyzing two real data sets (hepatitis C virus in Egypt and mitochondrial DNA of Beringian bison) that have been previously investigated using alternative coalescent methods. In the bison analysis, we detect a severe but previously unrecognized bottleneck, estimated to have occurred 10,000 radiocarbon years ago, which coincides with both the earliest undisputed record of large numbers of humans in Alaska and the megafaunal extinctions in North America at the beginning of the Holocene.

Algorithms↗

Population dynamics and competition in chemostat models with adaptive nutrient uptake.

The standard Monod model for microbial population dynamics in the chemostat is modified to take into consideration that cells can adapt to the change of nutrient concentration in the chemostat by switching between fast and slow nutrient uptake and growing modes with asymmetric thresholds for transition from one mode to another. This is a generalization of a modified Monod model which considers adaptation by transition between active growing and quiescent cells. Global analysis of the model equations is obtained using the theory of asymptotically autonomous systems. Transient oscillatory population density and hysteresis growth pattern observed experimentally, which do not occur for the standard Monod model, can be explained by such adaptive mechanism of the cells. Competition between two species that can switch between fast and slow nutrient uptake and growing modes is also considered. It is shown that generically there is no coexistence steady state, and only one steady state, corresponding to the survival of at most one species in the chemostat, is a local attractor. Numerical simulations reproduce the qualitative feature of some experimental data which show that the population density of the winning species approaches a positive steady state via transient oscillations while that of the losing species approaches the zero steady state monotonically.

Animals↗

Population dynamics of plant-parasite interactions: thresholds for invasion.

Thresholds are derived for the invasion of plant populations by parasites. The theory is developed for a generic model that takes into account two features characteristic of plant-parasite interactions: a dual source of inoculum (infection from primary or externally introduced inoculum and secondary infection from contact between susceptible and infected host tissue) and a host response to infection load. Each of the threshold criteria is shown to be the sum of the individual components for primary and secondary infection. This indicates that if parasite invasion is not possible through primary or secondary infection alone, when the two modes of transmission are combined, the parasite may be able to invade. The invasion criteria demonstrate that there is a threshold population of susceptible hosts below which the parasite is unable to invade. If there are nonlinearities in the population dynamics (arising through either the transmission process or the host response), there are also threshold densities for the infected hosts and parasite populations below which invasion does not occur. The implications of the results for the control of plant disease are discussed.

Animals↗

Shoot population dynamics of persisting clones of Miscanthus sinensis in the warm-temperate region of Japan.

The population dynamics of annual shoots in four clonal patches of Miscanthus sinensis was surveyed in terms of clone persistence. Over a study period of 3 years, a stable net shoot number was attained through a balanced replacement of old shoots by tillering 2-3 times a year. The birth rate was significantly correlated with the average monthly temperature. This suggests that a warm climate advances the date of tillerings, and shoots become taller as they emerge earlier. Five cohorts were identified, corresponding to shoots that were born in spring, early summer, summer, autumn and early winter. The autumn cohorts were more numerous and had a greater longevity than the other cohorts; they were thus were best suited for overwintering and, consequently, maintaining the population from one generation to the next. The shoots of earlier cohorts grew too tall to survive the cold of winter, which might cause freezing injury, while later cohorts' shoots excelled in overwintering because of their shortness. However, if the delayed shoots are very short, they will also have difficulty in surviving the early season of growth. Therefore, M. sinensis shoots have an optimum size for survival.

Climate↗

[Reconstruction of Polytrichum juniperinum population dynamics in a mire of China].

By using 'history reconstruction method', this paper studied the dynamics of two Polytrichum juniperinum populations with and without sporophytes. The population with sporophyte production experienced a dynamic process from increase to stabilization, while that without sporophyte production experienced a process from increase to decrease. Before 2003, both the increase rate and the birth rate of two populations decreased continuously, with the death rate showing the tendency from decrease to a continuous increase. The advantages of 'history reconstruction method' in studying population dynamics were proved and discussed.

Biomass↗

Vitamin A and immune function: retinoic acid modulates population dynamics in antigen receptor and CD38-stimulated splenic B cells.

Vitamin A and its active metabolite, all-trans retinoic acid (RA), regulate the antibody response in vivo, although the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We have investigated the regulation by RA of B cell population dynamics and Ig gene expression in purified splenic mouse B cells stimulated through the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) and/or CD38, a BCR coreceptor. After ligation of the BCR and/or CD38, B cells became more heterogeneous in size. RA substantially restrained this change, concomitant with inhibition of cell proliferation. To examine B cell heterogeneity more closely, we categorized stimulated B cells by size (forward angle light scatter) and determined cell division dynamics, germ-line Ig heavy chain gene transcription and surface IgG1 (sIgG1) expression. Flow cytometric analysis of carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester-labeled B cells costained for sIgG1 showed that the more proliferative groups of B cells were smaller, whereas cells expressing more sIgG1 were larger. RA enriched the latter population, whereas cell division frequency in general and the number of smaller B cells that had undergone division cycles were reduced. Although RA significantly inhibited Ig germ-line transcript levels in the total B cell population, CD19(-)IgG1(+) B cells, which represent a more differentiated phenotype, were enriched. Furthermore, pax-5 mRNA was decreased and activation-induced cytidine deaminase mRNA was increased in RA-treated stimulated B cells. Thus, RA regulated factors known to be required for Ig class switch recombination and modulated the population dynamics of ligation-stimulated B cells, while promoting the progression of a fraction of B cells into differentiated sIgG-expressing cells.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1↗

[Computer system for simulating population dynamic patterns of polygenes and mobile genetic elements upon truncation selection for a quantitative trait].

A computer system was developed for simulation of population dynamics of interacting polygene patterns and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) under selection for a quantitative trait. The system is stochastic (Monte Carlo) and takes into account the main sources of random change in the patterns (recombinations, transpositions, excisions), genetic drift, and determined trends of selection and other genetic processes in a finite population. Using this model, it is possible to analyze the dynamics of many population parameters that cannot be experimentally estimated: frequencies of polygenic alleles, proportions of adaptive and random fixations, average heterozygosities of polygenes and MGEs, coefficient of inbreeding, heritability, etc. In addition, the model can be used to test various hypotheses on polygene-MGE interaction.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Application of deterministic model of isothermals for population dynamics of Synthesiomyia nudiseta (Diptera, Muscidae).

The isothermal deterministic model adherence was studied to evaluate the population dynamic of Synthesiomyia nudiseta (Diptera, Muscidae). The linear form of equation obtained for the experiments in the several phases, were for Egg: 1/D = -0.18 + 0.02. T; Larva: 1/D = -0.028 + 0.01. T; Pupa: 1/D = -0.069 + 0.01. T; and Adult: 1/D = -0.4178 + 0.02. T. In function of temperature, S. nudiseta can present from 4.18 to 8.95 and from 4.91 to 8.99 generations per year, when calculated through the equations of development and through the simulations, respectively. And the higher the temperature the larger the generation number. Through variance analysis it was verified the significance for the regression equations in relation to the annual generation number (Ng/year) of S. nudiseta in function of the isothermals, for two studied situations. It was obtained a significance of 0,1%. The regression equations obtained for these situations were: Ng/year = 5.4 + 0.5. T and Ng/year = 5.1 + 0.52. T. The number of generations of S. nudiseta varies linearly with the isothermal. Besides that, the number of annual generations for each isothermal does not differ statistically when calculated through the development equations or through the simulations. Such conditions suggest the adaptation of the deterministic model adopted.

Analysis of Variance↗