Order and chaos in ecological systems.

Systems of differential equations exhibiting complex periodic or chaotic behavior can sometimes be associated with one-dimensional mappings (difference equations) which encapsulate the properties of the attractor governing the full n-dimensional system. Recent advances make it possible to reconstruct the underlying attractor, and hence the one-dimensional map, from time-series data for a single state variable (species). This technique is illustrated with reference to a hypothetical system consisting of a single predator species and 2 species of victims. Trapping records for Canadian lynx Lynx canadensis suggest that the method may have application to real-world populations. -Author