Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026
12:09
Building an Enhanced Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Insect Flight
Published on: March 10, 2021
Spatial synchronization of vole population dynamics by predatory birds.
1Department of Biology, University of Oslo, Norway. r.a.ims@bio.uio.no
Nature
|November 23, 2000
Summary
Northern vole populations show synchronized dynamics. Bird predation, influenced by dispersal movements, was identified as the key mechanism driving this synchrony, even in isolated populations.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Population Dynamics
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Northern vole populations exhibit large-scale, spatially synchronous dynamics, offering insights into population regulation mechanisms.
- Distinguishing between local intrinsic and regional extrinsic factors is challenging without detailed demographic data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify local demographic mechanisms and landscape-level synchrony in enclosed vole populations.
- To examine region-level multi-annual synchrony in open natural vole populations.
- To determine the primary synchronizing mechanism regulating vole populations.
Main Methods:
- Conducted field studies in southeastern Norway with 28 enclosed experimental populations and open natural populations.
- Eliminated predatory mammals and vole dispersal in enclosed populations to isolate factors.
- Utilized radio-marking for 481 voles to track fates and analyze demographic processes.
Main Results:
- Experimental populations showed synchronized growth rates, linked to regional vole abundance, despite isolation.
- Bird predation was identified as the primary synchronizing mechanism.
- Dispersal movements in slowly growing populations accelerated predation, creating a feedback loop.
Conclusions:
- Bird predation is a key driver of spatial synchrony in northern vole populations.
- Dispersal influences population growth and predation rates, creating a feedback loop that enhances synchrony.
- Understanding local demographic processes is crucial for deciphering population regulation mechanisms.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
00:48Optimal Foraging
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
01:21Frequency-dependent Selection
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less likely to...
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.