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PubMed2002

Modelling population dynamics of Orius laevigatus and O. albidipennis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) to optimize their use as biological control agents of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

ORIUS LAEVIGATUS: (Fieber) and O. albidipennis (Reuter) play an important role in the control of Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) in crops and natural vegetation in the Mediterranean area. The biological parameters of the two anthocorids were studied and modelled in relation to temperature to optimize their use in thrips control programmes. Development times and reproductive parameters of O. laevigatus and O. albidipennis were determined at 20, 25, 30 and 35 degrees C. Pre-imaginal development times ranged from 34.6 and 37.2 days at 20 degrees C to 12.3 and 10.2 days at 35 degrees C in O. laevigatus and O. albidipennis, respectively. The lower thermal development threshold was significantly higher for O. albidipennis (14.2 +/- 0.9 degrees C) than for O. laevigatus (11.3 +/- 0.7 degrees C). No significant differences in fecundities between the two anthocorids were observed at 20, 25 and 30 degrees C. At 35 degrees C, O. albidipennis had a significantly higher fecundity than O. laevigatus. Non-linear models were used to explain reproduction and female survivorship in relation to temperature. The upper reproductive thresholds were estimated at 40.9 +/- 0.3 and 35.5 +/- 0.1 degrees C for O. albidipennis and O. laevigatus, respectively. The different optimum temperatures may explain, at least in part, the different distributions of the two species in the Palaeartic region and their population dynamics in greenhouses and natural vegetation in the south of Spain. The estimation of rm as a function of temperature showed high variability between years. Three release rates of 0.75-0.25 Orius per plant are recommended from early March to mid May to deal with thrips outbreaks in pepper crops.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Chaotic population dynamics can result from natural selection.

The question of whether animal populations display chaotic dynamics has motivated a thriving body of research for two decades. Yet unambiguous evidence for chaos in the wild remains scarce. Accordingly, it has been proposed that evolutionary forces act to preserve populations from chaos as well as oscillations. We have tested for this hypothesis by considering the dynamics associated with evolutionarily stable life histories (including age of maturity, adult survivorship and recruitment to adulthood) in a simple, but general, demographic model. Contrary to expectation, individual selection operating on demographic traits should often lead to oscillatory or chaotic dynamics for species with late feasible ages of maturity and many age classes. Also, the optimality of chaos is more likely whenever trade-offs constrain recruitment to rapidly decrease with increasing adult survival or decreasing age of maturity. Our results bring evolutionary support to the possibility that chaotic population dynamics might be much more widespread than inferred until now from data analyses. Furthermore, these findings provide novel support for the view that chaos could be an optimal regime for several biological systems.

Aging↗
PubMed2006

Power spectra reveal the influence of stochasticity on nonlinear population dynamics.

Stochasticity alters the nonlinear dynamics of inherently cycling populations. The power spectrum can describe and explain the impacts of stochasticity. We fitted models to short observed time series of flour beetle populations in the frequency domain, then used a well fitting stochastic mechanistic model to generate detailed predictions of population spectra. Some predicted spectral peaks represent periodic phenomena induced or modified by stochasticity and were experimentally confirmed. For one experimental treatment, linearization theory explained that these peaks represent overcompensatory decay of deviations from deterministic oscillation. In another treatment, stochasticity caused frequent directional phase shifting around a cyclic attractor. This directional phase shifting was not explained by linearization theory and modified the periodicity of the system. If field systems exhibit directional phase shifting, then changing the intensity of demographic or environmental noise while holding constant the structure of the noise can change the main frequency of population fluctuations.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Within-host population dynamics and the evolution of microparasites in a heterogeneous host population.

Why do parasites harm their hosts? The general understanding is that if the transmission rate and virulence of a parasite are linked, then the parasite must harm its host to maximize its transmission. The exact nature of such trade-offs remains largely unclear, but for vertebrate hosts it probably involves interactions between a microparasite and the host immune system. Previous results have suggested that in a homogeneous host population in the absence of super- or coinfection, within-host dynamics lead to selection of the parasite with an intermediate growth rate that is just being controlled by the immune system before it kills the host (Antia et al. 1994). In this paper, we examine how this result changes when heterogeneity is introduced to the host population. We incorporate the simplest form of heterogeneity--random heterogeneity in the parameters describing the size of the initial parasite inoculum, the immune response of the host, and the lethal density at which the parasite kills the host. We find that the general conclusion of the previous model holds: parasites evolve some intermediate growth rate. However, in contrast with the generally accepted view, we find that virulence (measured by the case mortality or the rate of parasite-induced host mortality) increases with heterogeneity. Finally, we link the within-host and between-host dynamics of parasites. We show how the parameters for epidemiological spread of the disease can be estimated from the within-host dynamics, and in doing so examine the way in which trade-offs between these epidemiological parameters arise as a consequence of the interaction of the parasite and the immune response of the host.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Hepatitis C virus population dynamics during infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) behaves as an evolving viral quasispecies in its continuously changing environment. The study of HCV quasispecies population dynamics in experimental models and infected patients can provide useful information on factors involved in the HCV life cycle and pathogenicity. HCV quasispecies variability also has therapeutic implications, as the continuous generation and selection of fitter or truly resistant variants can allow the virus to escape control by antiviral drugs.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Spread of mutations in an inhomogeneous environment with respect to migration. III. A closed model of population dynamics with a arbitrary type of mutation and analysis of the effect of selection mechanisms and "death-reproduction"].

A closed mathematical model of population dynamics for an arbitrary mutant type was developed based on results obtained previously. The model considers the number of individuals with different genotypes, their random and constrained movements across the range, mechanisms of selection and Death-reproduction, and different conditions of the process at range boundaries. The influence of mechanisms of selection and Death-reproduction on integral parameters of the studied process was analyzed.

Death↗
PubMed1995

The role of B chromosomes in the population dynamics of yellow-necked wood mice Apodemus flavicollis (Rodentia, Mammalia).

Seasonal changes in the frequency of animals with B chromosomes were studied during 1989 in the population of yellow-necked wood mice, Apodemus flavicollis, on the mountain Jastrebac in Yugoslavia. During the study the estimated density of animals reached a very large value (378.8 individuals/ha for the April sample), which produced stress conditions leading to population decline. Six samples with a total of 247 specimens were karyotypically analyzed. Animals with Bs were present in all samples in frequencies that differed significantly at the 5% level. This difference was produced by the reduction in frequencies of specimens with Bs between the April and May samples (0.53 versus 0.29; chi 2(1) = 9.44; p < 0.002) and appeared mostly as a result of increased elimination of B-carrying animals from the prereproductive group. Young animals with Bs were inferior in stress conditions produced by overabundance of animals. From the first to the last sample, the frequency of animals with one B among B-containing animals constantly decreased, while the frequency of animals with more than one B increased. The possible role of Bs in regulating population dynamics is discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

[Population dynamics and infestation of Bulinus truncatus and Bulinus forskalii by schistosomal larvae in the Sudan-Sahelian zone of Cameroon].

The evolution of the population densities of Bulinus truncatus and Bulinus forskalii has been studied during 18 months in a number of sites of the Sudan-Sahelian zone of Cameroon, in relation to certain environmental factors. Only the altitude of the water in the sites has an influence on the density of the snails. The populations of B. truncatus present a greater proportion of young molluscs during the entire year, with the exception of the last months of the dry season. The population dynamics of B. forskalii varies depending on whether the environment is temporarily stagnant, temporarily running or stable. The proportions of B. truncatus and B. forskalii that emit cercariae of schistosomes are 1.2% and 0.8% respectively. Study of the adult worms obtained after infestation of the laboratory mammals show that B. truncatus emits cercariae of Schistosoma haematobium at the end of the dry season and at the beginning of the rainy season. We have not been able to identify precisely the cercariae emitted by B. forskalii, which raises the necessity of further systematic studies being carried out on the schistosomes of Cameroon.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Cell population dynamics model for deconvolution of murine embryonic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation responses to cytokines and extracellular matrix.

Stem cell self-renewal versus differentiation fate decisions are difficult to characterize and analyze due to multiple competing rate processes occurring simultaneously among heterogeneous cell subpopulations. To address this challenge, we describe a mathematical model for cell population dynamics that allows flow cytometry measurement of population distributions of molecular markers to be deconvoluted in terms of subpopulation-specific rate parameters distinguishing commitment to differentiation, proliferation of differentiated cells, and proliferation of undifferentiated cells (i.e., self-renewal). We validate this model-based parameter determination by means of dedicated, independent cell-tracking studies. Our approach facilitates interpretation of relationships underlying effects of external cues on cell responses in differentiating cultures via intracellular signals.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Plasmodium falciparum genotype population dynamics in asymptomatic children from Senegal.

In areas where malaria is endemic, infected individuals generally harbor a mixture of genetically distinct Plasmodium falciparum parasite populations. For the first time, we studied temporal variations of blood parasite densities and circulating genotypes in asymptomatic Senegalese children, at time intervals as short as 4-12 h. Twenty-one Senegalese children, presenting with an asymptomatic P. falciparum infection, were sampled eight times within three days. Parasite density was assessed by thick blood smears, and all infecting genotypes were quantified by the fragment-analysis method. Parasite densities showed dramatic fluctuations up to a 1 to 1,000 ratio, with at least one peak of parasite density. Polyclonal infections were detected in all children, with a multiplicity of infection of 5.2-6.8 genotypes per child. A single sample never reflected the full complexity of the parasite populations hosted by a given individual. Genotypes with different behaviors were detected in all children, some genotypes undergoing major fluctuations, while others were highly stable during the follow-up. A single peripheral blood sampling does not reflect the total parasite load. Repeated sampling is needed to have a more detailed scheme of parasite population dynamics and a better knowledge of the true complexity of an infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Population dynamics, infestation and host selection of Vexilla vexillum, an ectoparasitic muricid of echinoids, in Madagascar.

The symbiotic interaction, population and infestation dynamics of the muricid Vexilla vexillum (Gmelin, 1791) on 2 echinoid species, Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus, 1785) and Echinometra mathaei (Blainville, 1825), was investigated on the barrier reef off Toliara (Madagascar). V. vexillum is an ectoparasitic muricid which was exclusively found in association with sea urchins, on which it moves freely and browses over the integument. Host recovery from damage caused by muricid grazing was dependent on lesion size. Small lesions regenerated while larger ones were subjected to secondary infections, which led to host death. A 27 mo survey (2000 to 2003) of the muricid's population dynamics revealed annual recruitment episodes during the mid-summer season (December to January). Patterns of recruitment peaks were apparently linked to its reproductive cycle. Demographic parameters including growth and mortality rates of the muricid were estimated from analysis of size-frequency distributions. Growth was described by the von Bertalanffy function. The model predicts that V. vexillum is a fast-growing species in which asymptotic shell length (L infinity = 1.024 cm) is reached 6 to 7 mo after recruitment. The growth rate constant K, and shell length at settlement L0, were estimated from the model. Estimated mortality rate was 55% yr(-1); V. vexillum has a short lifespan. The observed high growth rate together with the high mortality rate suggest that V. vexillum is a semelparous species. A field survey of the infestation dynamics of V. vexillum was performed during 3 consecutive years, with seasonal variation in parasite prevalence on both echinoid host species. Although both T. gratilla and E. mathaei were infested, a preference towards T. gratilla was noted. This was attributed to T. gratilla's test morphology (which allows better accessibility for grazing), to the muricid's higher recognition capacity of T. gratilla (as determined by olfactory experiments) and to the high recruitment predictability of that particular host. This study provides novel information on the biology of V. vexillum, an echinoid epidermal grazer, and its relationship with 2 ecologically and economically important echinoid species.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Effect of temperature increase from 55 to 65 degrees C on performance and microbial population dynamics of an anaerobic reactor treating cattle manure.

The effect of a temperature increase from 55 to 65 degrees C on process performance and microbial population dynamics were investigated in thermophilic, lab-scale, continuously stirred tank reactors. The reactors had a working volume of 31 and were fed with cattle manure at an organic loading rate of 3 g VS/l reactor volume/d. The hydraulic retention time in the reactors was 15 days. A stable reactor performance was obtained for periods of three retention times both at 55 degrees C and 65 degrees C. At 65 degrees C methane yield stabilized at approximately 165ml/g VS/d compared to 200 ml/g VS/d at 55 degrees C. Simultaneously, the level of total volatile fatty acids, VFA, increased from being below 0.3 g/l to 1.8-2.4 g acetate/l. The specific methanogenic activities (SMA) of biomass from the reactors were measured with acetate, propionate, butyrate, hydrogen, formate and glucose. At 65 degrees C. a decreased activity was found for glucose-, acetate-, butyrate- and formate-utilizers and no significant activity was measured with propionate. Only the hydrogen-consuming methanogens showed an enhanced activity at 65 degrees C. Numbers of cultivable methanogens, estimated by the most probable number (MPN) method, were significantly lower on glucose, acetate and butyrate at the increased operational temperature, while the numbers of hydrogenotrophic methanogens remained unchanged. No viable propionate-degrading bacteria were enriched at 65 C. Use of ribosomal oligonucleotide probes showed that an increase in temperature resulted in a decreased contribution of the rRNA of the domain bacteria from 74-79 to 57-62% of the universal probe, while the rRNA of the domain archaea, increased from 18-23 to 34-36%.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1980

The effect of social selection on the population dynamics of Huntington's disease.

Wallace (1976) postulated the importance of social selection on the frequency of Huntington's disease. This effect of social selection was studied with respect to the population dynamics of Huntington's disease genes. It is shown that social selection operates mainly through heterozygotes. Existing data indicate that the frequency of Huntington's disease in the population is determined by its social effects.

Gene Frequency↗
PubMed2005

Monitoring population dynamics of the thermophilic Bacillus licheniformis CCMI 1034 in batch and continuous cultures using multi-parameter flow cytometry.

Multi-parameter flow cytometry was used to monitor the population dynamics of Bacillus licheniformis continuous cultivations and the physiological responses to a starvation period and a glucose pulse. Using a mixture of two specific fluorescent stains, DiOC6(3) (3,3'-dihexylocarbocyanine iodide), and PI (propidium iodide), flow cytometric analysis revealed cell physiological heterogeneity. Four sub-populations of cells could be easily identified based on their differential fluorescent staining, these correspond to healthy cells (A) stained with DiOC6(3); cells or spores with a depolarised cytoplasmic membrane (B), no staining; cells with a permeabilised depolarised cytoplasmic membrane (C), stained with PI; and permeablised cells with a disrupted cytoplasmic membrane 'ghost cells' (D), stained with both DiOC6(3) and PI. Transmission electron micrographs of cells starved of energy showed different cell lysis process stages, highlighting 'ghost cells' which were associated with the double stained sub-population. It was shown, at the individual cell level, that there was a progressive inherent fluctuation in physiological heterogeneity in response to changing environmental conditions. All four sub-populations were shown to be present during glucose-limited continuous cultures, revealing a higher physiological stress level when compared with a glucose pulsed batch. A starvation period (batch without additional nutrients) increased the number of cells in certain sub-populations (cells with depolarised cytoplasmic membranes and cells with permeabilised depolarised cytoplasmic membranes), indicating that such stress may be caused by glucose limitation. Such information could be used to enhance process efficiency.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

Trichuris suis population dynamics following a primary experimental infection.

Trichuris suis population kinetics was studied by experimentally infecting 40 pigs with 5000 T. suis infective eggs. Six pigs were sacrificed every 2 weeks from 1 to 9 weeks post-inoculation (p.i.) and the remaining 10 pigs were sacrificed 11 weeks p.i. to estimate worm burdens. An equal number of uninfected control pigs were sacrificed at the same time points for comparison. Egg excretions from each pig were evaluated every week from 5 to 11 weeks p.i. Peripheral blood eosinophilia and basophilia were also evaluated every 2 weeks throughout the experimental period. After an initial almost 100% establishment of T. suis an expulsion phase followed approximately 9 weeks p.i., resulting in an aggregated distribution of the worms in the pig population, as it is characteristic for most helminth infections. By 11 weeks p.i. almost all worms had been expelled. Egg excretion peaked 7 weeks p.i. and a significant non-linear relationship between worm burdens and egg excretion was found. The predilection site for T. suis was the caecum and proximal colon and the relative distribution of worms in the large intestine did not change over time until expulsion. Peaking peripheral blood eosinophil and basophil levels were observed in the T. suis infected pigs 5 and 7 weeks p.i., respectively, reflecting the host activated immune response against the parasite. We here describe the course of a primary T. suis infection in pigs by detailed worm counts, demonstrating an effective expulsion that results in an almost 100% clearance of infection as previously indicated by monitoring faecal egg excretion.

Animals↗