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Long-term cyclic persistence in an experimental predator-prey system.

Bernd Blasius1,2, Lars Rudolf3, Guntram Weithoff4,5

  • 1Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment ICBM, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany. blasius@icbm.de.

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This summary is machine-generated.

Ecological predator-prey cycles can persist for unprecedented lengths, demonstrating self-sustained population dynamics. These cycles show resilience to stochasticity, suggesting potential for long-term ecological stability.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Population Dynamics
  • Theoretical Ecology

Background:

  • Predator-prey cycles are fundamental ecological concepts, theoretically enabling indefinite population persistence.
  • Real-world cyclic dynamics duration and self-sustainability remain open questions in ecology.
  • Previous studies show short-lived oscillations in experimental settings without external stabilizing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term self-sustainability of predator-prey cycles in a controlled experimental setting.
  • To characterize the dynamics of predator-prey oscillations over extended periods.
  • To explore the role of stochasticity in modulating cyclic dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Microcosm experiments using a planktonic predator-prey system.
  • Observation and analysis of time series data for population dynamics.
  • Mathematical modeling to interpret observed dynamics.
  • Experimental manipulation with pulsed nutrient supply to test stochasticity effects.

Main Results:

  • Observed oscillatory time series of unprecedented length, persisting up to ~50 cycles (~300 predator generations).
  • Dominant dynamics featured regular, coherent oscillations with a consistent predator-prey phase difference.
  • Shorter episodes of irregular, non-coherent oscillations occurred but the system tended to return to coherent dynamics.
  • Stochasticity, potentially from nutrient supply, was implicated in shifts between coherent and non-coherent dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • Predator-prey systems can exhibit self-sustained cyclic dynamics for extended durations.
  • The observed cyclic regime demonstrates resilience to stochastic events, with a tendency to revert to coherent oscillations.
  • Findings empirically support the potential for long-term persistence of predator and prey populations in cyclic dynamics.