Equilibriumizing all food chain chaos through reproductive efficiency.
The intraspecific interference of a top-predator is incorporated into a classical mathematical model for three-trophic food chains. All chaos types known to the classical model are shown to exist for this comprehensive model. It is further demonstrated that if the top-predator reproduces at high efficiency, then all chaotic dynamics will change to a stable coexisting equilibrium, a novel property not found in the classical model. This finding gives a mechanistic explanation to the question of why food chain chaos is rare in the field. It also suggests that high reproductive efficiency of top-predators tends to stabilize food chains.
Deng
Bo
B
Department of Math and Statistics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0323, USA.
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003198:Computer Simulation; D020387:Food Chain; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D043762:Reproductive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*