MODELOS DE DINÂMICA POPULACIONAL COM ESTRUTURA DE ESTÁGIO

Abstract

Organisms in different stages of their life cycles can show distinct behavioral, physiological or morphological characteristics. Stage-structured population models are built up in order to encompass that ontogenetic diversity. In this context, the present work aims to analyze the occurrence of multiple stable states in models composed by juvenile and adult stages. It is shown that the incorporation of density dependent components in different life cycle stages contributes to the occurrence of multiple equilibrium states. However, within the simulated models, the occurrence of contrasting states was only possible for models with density dependent factors in maturation, fecundity and also in mortality. The consequences of multiple stable states for conservation and management of natural populations are briefly discussed.