Synchronization in ecological systems by weak dispersal coupling with time delay
Abstract
One of the most salient spatio-temporal patterns in population ecology is the synchronization of fluctuating local populations across vast spatial extent. Synchronization of abundance has been widely observed across a range of spatial scales in relation to rate of dispersal among discrete populations. However, the dependence of synchrony on patterns of among-patch movement across heterogeneous landscapes has been largely ignored. Here we consider the duration of movement between two predator-prey communities connected by weak dispersal, and its effect on population synchrony. More specifically, we introduce time delayed dispersal to incorporate the finite transmission time between discrete populations across a continuous landscape. Reducing the system to a phase model using weakly connected network theory, it is found that the time delay is an important factor determining the nature and stability of phase-locked states. Our analysis predicts enhanced convergence to stable synchronous fluctuations in general, and a decreased ability of systems to produce in-phase synchronization dynamics in the presence of delayed dispersal. These results introduce delayed dispersal as a tool for understanding the importance of dispersal time across a landscape matrix in affecting metacommunity dynamics. They further highlight the importance of landscape and dispersal patterns for predicting the onset of synchrony between weakly-coupled populations.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1209.2975,
title = {Synchronization in ecological systems by weak dispersal coupling with time delay},
author = {Emily Wall and Frederic Guichard and Antony R. Humphries},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1209.2975},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
Submitted to Theoretical Ecology on 06/09/2012, accepted for publication on 21/01/2013