Demographic variability and density-dependent dynamics of a free-ranging rhesus macaque population.

ABSTRACT: Density-dependence is hypothesized as the major mechanism of population regulation. However, the lack of long-term demographic data has hampered the use of density-dependent models in nonhuman primates. In this study, we make use of the long-term demographic data from Cayo Santiago's rhesus macaques to parameterize and analyze both a density-independent and a density-dependent population matrix model, and compare their projections with the observed population changes. We also employ a retrospective analysis to determine how variance in vital rates, and covariance among them, contributed to the observed variation in long-term fitness across different levels of population density. The population exhibited negative density-dependence in fertility and the model incorporating this relationship

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Pacheco R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3920185 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature