Elk population dynamics when carrying capacities vary within and among herds.

ABSTRACT: Population and land management relies on understanding population regulation and growth, which may be impacted by variation in population growth parameters within and among populations. We explored the interactions between variation in carrying capacity (K), intrinsic population growth rate (r), and strength of density dependence (β) within and among elk (Cervus elaphus) herds in a small part of the geographic range of the species. We also estimated stochastic fluctuations in abundance around K for each herd. We fit linear Ricker growth models using Bayesian statistics to seven time series of elk population survey data. Our results indicate that K and β varied among herds, and that r and β varied temporally within herds. We also found that herds with smaller K had less stochastic fluctuati

SUBMITTER: Koetke LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7524762 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature