Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Ecol Lett. 2011 Feb;14(2):202-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01572.x. Epub 2010 Dec 27.
Interspecific interactions depend not only on the population densities of the interacting species, but on their phenotypes as well. Phenotypic variation can be plastic or heritable and both mechanisms can drive phenotypic change at rates comparable to or faster than those of ecological dynamics (e.g. changes in population abundances or spatial distributions). In this study, we compare the effects rapidly induced and rapidly evolving defences have on community dynamics by considering the fast phenotypic change limit using fast-slow systems theory. Our approach allows us to study phenotypically plastic and evolving systems with one overarching theory, thus capturing the effects rapidly induced defences have on ecological dynamics and how those effects differ from the effects of evolving defences. Our results show that rapidly induced defences tend to stabilize community dynamics and that some behaviours observed in rapidly evolving systems cannot be produced by phenotypic plasticity.
种间相互作用不仅取决于相互作用的物种的种群密度，还取决于它们的表型。表型变异可以是可塑性的，也可以是遗传性的，这两种机制都可以以与生态动态（例如种群丰度或空间分布的变化）相当或更快的速度驱动表型变化。在这项研究中，我们通过使用快速-慢速系统理论考虑快速表型变化极限，比较了快速诱导和快速进化防御对群落动态的影响。我们的方法允许我们使用一个总体理论来研究表型可塑性和进化系统，从而捕捉快速诱导防御对生态动态的影响，以及这些影响与进化防御的影响有何不同。我们的研究结果表明，快速诱导防御往往会稳定群落动态，而在快速进化系统中观察到的一些行为不能由表型可塑性产生。
