title: Europe-wide dampening of population cycles in keystone herbivores.
abstract: Suggestions of collapse in small herbivore cycles since the 1980s have raised concerns about the loss of essential ecosystem functions. Whether such phenomena are general and result from extrinsic environmental changes or from intrinsic process stochasticity is currently unknown. Using a large compilation of time series of vole abundances, we demonstrate consistent cycle amplitude dampening associated with a reduction in winter population growth, although regulatory processes responsible for cyclicity have not been lost. The underlying syndrome of change throughout Europe and grass-eating vole species suggests a common climatic driver. Increasing intervals of low-amplitude small herbivore population fluctuations are expected in the future, and these may have cascading impacts on trophic webs across ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK. cornulier@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cornulier
authors.forename: Nigel G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Yoccoz
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bretagnolle
authors.forename: Jon E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Brommer
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Butet
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ecke
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Elston
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Framstad
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Henttonen
authors.forename: Birger
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hörnfeldt
authors.forename: Otso
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Huitu
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Imholt
authors.forename: Rolf A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ims
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Bogumiła
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jędrzejewska
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Millon
authors.forename: Steve J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Petty
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pietiäinen
authors.forename: Emil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tkadlec
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zub
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lambin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000502:physiology*; D005060:Europe; D060434:Herbivory / Q000502:physiology*; D006109:Poaceae; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012621:Seasons; D013269:Stochastic Processes