Eruptive dynamics are common in managed mammal populations

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Population Dynamics

Background:

• Conservation success often relies on removing threats to declining populations.
• Population recovery can lead to unexpected dynamics, including fluctuations.
• Resource-consumer feedbacks can drive boom-bust cycles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the recovery patterns of mammal populations after removal of a key limiting factor (fox predation) in Australia.
• To determine the prevalence of eruptive dynamics (boom-bust cycles) in recovering populations.
• To identify factors influencing the duration of population increase before decline.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of long-term (7.6–29 years) abundance data for 169 mammal populations.
• Identification and characterization of populations exhibiting exponential increase followed by decline.
• Statistical analysis relating population growth rates and body mass to the time to peak abundance.

Main Results:

• 44 out of 169 populations displayed eruptive dynamics.
• Larger body mass and slower intrinsic population growth rates correlated with longer periods of population increase.
• These dynamics were observed in both native Australian mammals and translocated ungulates.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of recovering populations exhibit eruptive dynamics.
• Conservation and translocation programs must account for potential boom-bust cycles.
• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for effective wildlife management and planning.