Europe-Wide Dampening of Population Cycles in Keystone Herbivores

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 340; no. 6128; pp. 63 - 66
• Main Authors: Cornulier, Thomas, Yoccoz, Nigel G., Bretagnolle, Vincent, Brommer, Jon E., Butet, Alain, Ecke, Frauke, Elston, David A., Framstad, Erik, Henttonen, Heikki, Hörnfeldt, Birger, Huitu, Otso, Imholt, Christian, Ims, Rolf A., Jacob, Jens, Jędrzejewska, Bogumiła, Millon, Alexandre, Petty, Steve J., Pietiäinen, Hannu, Tkadlec, Emil, Zub, Karol, Lambin, Xavier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 05-04-2013; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal populations; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Arvicolinae - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cascading; Climate; Climate change; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Consumers; Cycles; Demecology; Ecology; Economic conditions; Ekologi; Environmental Sciences; Europe; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Herbivores; Herbivory - physiology; Mammalia; Mammals; Marine ecosystems; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Poaceae; Population density; Population Dynamics; Population growth; Population growth rate; Predators; Raw; Reduction; Seasons; Small mammals; Spring; Stochastic Processes; Time series; Vertebrata; Voles; Europe; Vertebrata; Climate; Reduction; Mammalia; Population growth; Herbivorous; Phenology; Rodentia; Environmental factor; Population dynamics; Environmental monitoring; Micromammals
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1228992

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.