Abstract
In many stage-structured species, different life stages often occupy separate spatial niches in a heterogeneous environment. Life stages of the giant flour beetle Tribolium brevicornis (Leconte), in particular adults and pupae, occupy different locations in a homogeneous habitat. This unique spatial pattern does not occur in the well-studied stored grain pests T. castaneum (Herbst) and T. confusum (Duval). We propose density dependent dispersal as a causal mechanism for this spatial pattern. We model and explore the spatial dynamics of T. brevicornis with a set of four density dependent integrodifference and difference equations. The spatial model exhibits multiple attractors: a spatially uniform attractor and a patchy attractor with pupae and adults spatially separated. The model attractors are consistent with experimental observations.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 491-508 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Bulletin of Mathematical Biology |
Volume | 74 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2012 |
Keywords
- Density dependent dispersal
- Flour beetle
- Integrodifference equations
- Life stage interactions
- Spatial distribution
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience
- Immunology
- General Mathematics
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
- General Environmental Science
- Pharmacology
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
- Computational Theory and Mathematics