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Impacts of water and nitrogen supplies on the physiology, leaf demography and nitrogen dynamics of Betula pendula.

We determined the response of Betula pendula Roth. trees to a restricted water supply, and quantified the interactions between tree N and water status on leaf demography and internal N cycling. In April 1993, 3-year-old trees were planted in sand culture and four treatments applied: high-N supply (56 mg tree(-1) week(-1)) with either 2 dm(3) water week(-1) (HN+) or 0.9 dm(3) water week(-1) (HN-), or low-N supply (14 mg tree(-1) week(-1)) with 2 dm(3) (LN+) or 0.9 dm(3) (LN-) water week(-1). Until 1994, the N supplied to trees was enriched with (15)N to 5.4 atom %. During 1993, there were few differences in the growth or leaf demography of trees in the LN+ and LN- treatments, but the high-N treatment increased tree growth. Leaf mass and area were initially similar in trees in the HN+ and HN- treatments, but the trees in the HN- treatment had a smaller root system. Net assimilation rate under saturating light was higher in trees in the HN+ treatment than in trees in the LN+ treatment. There was an N x water supply interaction as a result of trees in the HN- treatment closing their stomata by the beginning of August. However, there was no difference in gas exchange characteristics of leaves in the LN+ and LN- treatments. Although leaf senescence and abscission started in the HN- treatment by mid-August and continued for about 90 days, whereas leaf abscission in the other treatments did not start until the beginning of October and only lasted 25-30 days, the trees in the HN+ and HN- treatments remobilized similar amounts of (15)N for leaf growth in the spring of 1994. There were no differences in predawn water potential among treatments and no evidence of osmotic adjustment. We conclude that B. pendula trees avoid rather than tolerate drought. The interaction between the effects of nitrogen and water supplies on leaf demography and internal cycling of N are discussed.

Journal Article↗

Spatial variation in demography and population growth rate: the importance of natal location.

1. Understanding the pattern and magnitude of spatial variation in demography and population growth rate (lambda) is key to understanding the structure and dynamics of natural populations. However, such spatial variation is challenging to quantify. We use>20 years of individual life-history data to quantify small- and large-scale spatial variation in demography and lambda within a single population of red-billed choughs Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax on Islay, Scotland. Critically, we demonstrate a major importance of an individual's natal rather than current location in driving observed spatial variation. 2. Breeding success (the number of offspring fledged per breeding attempt) varied among individual chough nest sites but did not vary on a larger spatial scale across Islay. 3. The proportion of fledglings observed to survive to recruiting age varied markedly among individual nest sites and also varied more widely across Islay. Spatial capture-mark-recapture models defined two discrete geographical regions where fledgling survival differed significantly: choughs fledged in region 'BGE' were more likely to survive than choughs fledged in region 'CNSW' as both subadults and adults. 4. The asymptotic lambda attributable to breeding attempts in region BGE exceeded unity, and exceeded that attributable to breeding attempts in region CNSW. Relatively productive and unproductive regions therefore exist within this population. 5. Spatial variation in adult survival was better explained by an individual's natal region than the region where that individual settled to breed. Spatial variation in lambda would consequently have remained undetected had survival been measured across resident breeders rather than across individuals fledged in each region. Furthermore, breeding success was a weak predictor of a nest site's estimated productivity of recruits. 6. We therefore describe marked spatial variation in demography and lambda within a single population of a territorial vertebrate, mediated partly by long-term links between an individual's natal location and its subsequent life-history. Life-long monitoring of individuals of known origin may therefore be necessary to identify accurately subpopulations of intrinsically high and low lambda.

Animals↗

Historical demography in China: review and perspective.

"This paper argues that the development of historical demography in China will not only contribute greatly to our understanding of the particular population and social development dynamics in China, but will also enhance our understanding of the role of population for social and economic development in general.... After a review of the recent development of population studies in China, this paper will review the current state of Chinese historical demography and examine some research issues and data sources which can help broaden the horizons of population research in China."

Asia↗

[Looking for a new past: strategies and problems of methodologies in historical demography].

"This article presents a state of the art [discussion] on the methodologies of historical demography.... This analysis is oriented to evaluate goals, possibilities and limitations in the methods of historical demography. These methods are introduced in terms of answers to two basic questions in this field: how demographers reconstruct population dynamics of the past and how they explain behaviour of these demographic systems." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Demography↗

Life history and demography of wild moor macaques (Macaca maurus): summary of ten years of observations.

Data on the life history and demography of individual species are indispensable when we discuss social behavior from an evolutionary perspective, and when we attempt to make adequate conservation plans. This is the first report on the life history and demography of moor macaques in their natural habitat. Moor macaques (Macaca maurus) in the Karaenta Nature Reserve, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, have been observed since 1981. Individual identification of group members began in 1988. The size of the study group increased continuously, from 20 to 43, over this 10-year period of observation (1988-1998). The average population growth rate was 8.0%, and 45 births were confirmed during this period. They were categorized as moderately seasonal breeders. Mortality rate within one year after birth was 17.1%. Average inter-birth interval following surviving infants was 24.1 months, while that following early infant death was 15.0 months. As is the case in other species of macaques, males moved between groups while females stayed in their natal groups. Females seemed to exhibit their first perineal swelling at 4-6 years of age, and to have their first infant at 6-7 years. Males left their natal group at 7-9 years. Solitary males were seldom observed around the study group. The late dispersal of males from their natal groups and their infrequent movement between groups contrast with patterns in well-known macaque species such as Japanese macaques. Recently, differences in social characteristics among macaque species have attracted the attention of researchers. Our findings would be useful to further understanding of such social differences.

Animals↗

Demography, life history, and social structure in Propithecus diadema edwardsi from 1986-2000 in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.

Prosimian lemurs differ fundamentally from anthropoid primates in many traits related to social structure. By exploring the demography of Milne-Edwards' sifakas (Propithecus diadema edwardsi), and comparing it to other well-studied primates, we explore the effect of demographic and life-history factors on social structure. Specifically, we compare lemur survivorship and fertility patterns to two published composite models: one created for New World and another created for Old World monkeys. Using longitudinal data collected on individual Propithecus diadema edwardsi from four study groups from 1986-2000 in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, we quantify 1) group composition, 2) birth seasonality, 3) interbirth interval, 4) life-table values, and 5) population growth estimates. The mortality, survivorship, and life-expectancy schedules indicate high infant and juvenile mortality. Fertility remains high until death. The intrinsic rate of increase and net reproductive rate indicate a shrinking population. We suggest that high mortality rather than low fertility causes the observed population decline. While sifaka survivorship closely resembles New World patterns, fertility resembles Old World patterns, i.e., like New World monkeys, few sifakas survive to reproductive age, and those that do, reproduce at a slow rate resembling the Old World pattern. This necessarily impacts social structure. An adult sifaka at the end of her lifespan will have one only daughter who survives to reproductive age, compared to 3.4 for New World or 2.7 for Old World monkeys. Demography limits the formation of large kin-based groups for sifakas, and survivorship and fertility patterns do not easily permit sifakas to form large same-sex family groups.

Animals↗

An uncertain life: demography in random environments.

This paper concisely reviews the demography of populations with random vital rates, highlights examples and techniques which yield insight into population dynamics, summarizes the state of significant applications of the theory, and points to open problems. The central picture in this theory is of a time-varying but statistically stationary equilibrium for population, sharply distinct from the notions of classical demography. The deepest biological insights from the theory reveal the temporal structure of life histories to be a rich arena for natural selection.

Animals↗

Historical demography: achievements and prospects.

Historical demography as a separate discipline came into existence when family reconstruction was first developed for the analysis of a pre-transition population. This paper assesses the significant achievements made in this field of population studies since then. Attention is also paid to equally significant findings obtained from aggregative analysis based on back projection, and to a large body of research results for the period of the demographic transition. In the last part of the paper, new research directions are discussed. Data issues as well as methodological ones are raised. Special attention is given to newly emerging Asian historical demography where different source materials require different methods and techniques, which in turn are expected to broaden the scope of the so far disproportionality fertility-oriented field. Finally, discussions are extended to economic, cultural and institutional aspects of the subject, with a plea not to isolate demographic analysis from other branches of historical research.

Demography↗

Demography, extinction and intervention in a small population: the case of the Serengeti wild dogs.

The effects of ecological factors (prey, competitors, predators and disease) and intervention (immobilization, radio-collaring, and vaccination) on population size and demography were investigated in Serengeti wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), an endangered canid, between 1965 and 1991. Variation in ecological factors explained most changes in demography, but did not explain a decline in adult longevity. A significant reduction in pack life and individual longevity was coincident with the introduction of routine intervention and consistent with pathogen-induced mortality. Survival varied significantly between categories of intervention, and between individuals likely to have been exposed to different degrees of social stress before intervention. The loss of all study packs in 1991 contrasted with the persistence of breeding packs outside the study area. The cause of the demise of most study packs is unknown. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated that population extinction was unlikely to be the consequence of chance events alone. One explanation compatible with the evidence is an outbreak of viral disease induced by stress, possibly caused by intervention.

Animals↗

Demography and population dynamics of the mouse opossum (Thylamys elegans) in semi-arid Chile: seasonality, feedback structure and climate.

Here we present, to the authors' knowledge for the very first time for a small marsupial, a thorough analysis of the demography and population dynamics of the mouse opossum (Thylamys elegans) in western South America. We test the relative importance of feedback structure and climatic factors (rainfall and the Southern Oscillation Index) in explaining the temporal variation in the demography of the mouse opossum. The demographic information was incorporated into a stage-structured population dynamics model and the model's predictions were compared with observed patterns. The mouse opossum's capture rates showed seasonal (within-year) and between-year variability, with individuals having higher capture rates during late summer and autumn and lower capture rates during winter and spring. There was also a strong between-year effect on capture probabilities. The reproductive (the fraction of reproductively active individuals) and recruitment rates showed a clear seasonal and a between-year pattern of variation with the peak of reproductive activity occuring during winter and early spring. In addition, the fraction of reproductive individuals was positively related to annual rainfall, while population density and annual rainfall positively influenced the recruitment rate. The survival rates were negatively related to annual rainfall. The average finite population growth rate during the study period was estimated to be 1.011 +/- 0.0019 from capture-recapture estimates. While the annual growth rate estimated from the seasonal linear matrix models was 1.026, the subadult and adult survival and maturation rates represent between 54% (winter) and 81% (summer) of the impact on the annual growth rate.

Animals↗

The X chromosome and the female survival advantage: an example of the intersection between genetics, epidemiology and demography.

Despite differences in research traditions, the disciplines of genetics, epidemiology, and demography are becoming increasingly integrated in health-related research. The enormous development within genetic technology, with the possibility of genotyping thousands of variants from small samples of biological material obtained by non-invasive methods, now makes it feasible to include genetic information in epidemiologic and demographic studies. Simultaneously, new insight can be obtained from hybrids of methods and data from the three disciplines. This paper illustrates how a genetic observation combined with demographic insight and a modified genetic-epidemiologic design (a twin study) provides evidence that part of the sex difference in survival can be attributed to the fact that females have two X chromosomes and males have only one, a result that is of potential interest for genetics, epidemiology, and demography.

Adult↗

[When demography considers women's work].

"The purpose of this paper is to outline the various approaches to women's work adopted in social sciences, and to suggest that the one developed in demography for studying the interrelationship between work and fertility represents an important methodological contribution." The geographic focus is worldwide. In particular, the author notes the value of the longitudinal approach used in demography. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

Demography↗

[Multidimensional mathematical demography: a survey].

The development of multidimensional mathematical demography and its application to the analysis of such changes in life status as marriage, occupation, and migration is discussed. "This article presents an overview of the methods and models specific to this new branch. It stresses (1) their relationship with the methods and models of classical mathematical demography, (2) their field of application, (3) their elaboration, and (4) a few methodological and empirical questions raised by their use." (summary in ENG, SPA)

Demography↗

[Demography and genetics. The usefulness of geneologic data banks].

The authors have tried to answer an essential question: the usefulness of data bases in Genetics and Demography. Problems concerning the collect and the treatment by computer of registers of population have been presented. The usefulness of the genealogic reconstitutions for all the fields of the research, particularly for historic demography, genetic and medical research, both basic and applied, is presented.

Computers↗

Predicting prescribing costs in general practice using practice demography.

Prescription and dispensing costs form a large part (c. 56%) of primary care expenditure in the NHS and concern has been expressed at its ever increasing total. Previous predictive models have either failed to account for a high proportion of costs or else have not been able to explain adequately the role practice list demography plays upon costs. Using prescription data and the practice demography, our model accounts for 91.4% of the variation in primary health care prescribing costs in Northern Ireland thus explaining them to a much greater extent than previous models and, in addition, explains a large part of the variation in total monthly consultations and numbers of prescriptions. In addition to comprehensiveness it has a high degree of parsimony, needing only three independent variables for each practice, namely, the number of children aged 0-4 years, the number of persons aged 60+ years and the number of partners in the practice, all of which are immediately comprehensible by GPs and their negotiators. Thus, it could form a valuable addition to the 'evaluation kit' of prescribing advisers and others concerned with auditing and containing costs. Previous studies have shown the importance of the age-sex structure of practice lists in relation to prescribing costs but none has been able to develop such a powerful, simple and comprehensible predictive model.

Journal Article↗

Individual Energetics and the Equilibrium Demography of Structured Populations

This paper considers the relationship between the demographic mechanisms of population control and the energetics of the individuals who comprise the population. We examine the equilibrium properties of a class of structured population models in which individuals compete for some environmental resource (such as food) and demonstrate that population demography is independent of the nature of the feedback loop which establishes the equilibrium state. We thus derive general insights into the influence exerted by individual energetic and allocation strategies on population average demographic characteristics. We show that models of individual energetics which produce apparently very similar predictions at the individual level can result in very different behaviour at the population level. In addition, we observe that different models of individual mortality can imply marked differences in population demography and that the common assumption of constant mortality can be responsible for potentially unrealistic model behaviour. Our results emphasise the substantial data requirements for parameterising and testing individual-based models.

Journal Article↗

Comparison of the physiology, morphology, and leaf demography of tropical saplings with different crown shapes.

Branch architecture, leaf photosynthetic traits, and leaf demography were investigated in saplings of two woody species, Homolanthus caloneurus and Macaranga rostulata, co-occurring in the understory of a tropical mountain forest. M. rostulata saplings have cylindrical crowns, whereas H. caloneurus saplings have flat crowns. Saplings of the two species were found not to differ in area-based photosynthetic traits and in average light conditions in the understory of the studied site, but they do differ in internode length, leaf emergence rate, leaf lifespan, and total leaf area. Displayed leaf area of H. caloneurus saplings, which have the more rapid leaf emergence, was smaller than that of M. rostulata saplings, which have a longer leaf lifespan and larger total leaf area, although M. rostulata saplings showed a higher degree of leaf overlap. Short leaf lifespan and consequent small total leaf area would be linked to leaf overlap avoidance in the densely packed flat H. caloneurus crown. In contrast, M. rostulata saplings maintained a large total leaf area by producing leaves with a long leaf lifespan. In these understory saplings with a different crown architecture, we observed two contrasting adaptation strategies to shade which are achieved by adjusting a suite of morphological and leaf demographic characters. Each understory species has a suite of morphological traits and leaf demography specific to its architecture, thus attaining leaf overlap avoidance or large total leaf area.

Euphorbiaceae↗

Historical demography of Mullerian mimicry in the neotropical Heliconius butterflies.

We compare the historical demographies of two Müllerian comimetic butterfly species: Heliconius erato and Heliconius melpomene. These species show an extensive parallel geographic divergence in their aposematic wing phenotypes. Recent studies suggest that this coincident mosaic results from simultaneous demographic processes shaped by extrinsic forces over Pleistocene climate fluctuations. However, DNA sequence variation at two rapidly evolving unlinked nuclear loci, Mannose phosphate isomerase (Mpi) and Triose phosphate isomerase (Tpi), show that the comimetic species have quite different quaternary demographies. In H. erato, despite ongoing lineage sorting across the Andes, nuclear genealogical estimates showed little geographical structure, suggesting high historical gene flow. Coalescent-based demographic analysis revealed population growth since the Pliocene period. Although these patterns suggest vicariant population subdivision associated with the Andean orogeny, they are not consistent with hypotheses of Pleistocene population fragmentation facilitating allopatric wing phenotype radiation in H. erato. In contrast, nuclear genetic diversity, theta, in H. melpomene was reduced relative to its comimic and revealed three phylogeographical clades. The pattern of coalescent events within regional clades was most consistent with population growth in relatively isolated populations after a recent period of restricted population size. These different demographic histories suggest that the wing-pattern radiations were not coincident in the two species. Instead, larger effective population size (N(e)) in H. erato, together with profound population change in H. melpomene, supports an earlier hypothesis that H. erato diversified first as the model species of this remarkable mimetic association.

Alleles↗