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- Title
Population-level ecological effect assessment: estimating the effect of toxic chemicals on density-dependent populations.
- Authors
Hayashi, Takehiko I.; Kamo, Masashi; Tanaka, Yoshinari
- Abstract
We examined the relationship between individual-level and population-level effects of toxic chemicals, employing the equilibrium population size as an index of population-level effects. We first analyzed two-stage matrix models considering four life-history types and four density-dependent models, and then we analyzed ecotoxicological and life-history data of the fathead minnow ( Pimephales promelas) and brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis) as real examples. Our elasticity analysis showed that toxic impacts on density-dependent populations depended largely on the differences in density-dependence and in life histories of the organisms. In particular, the importance of adult survivability was considerably increased in iteroparous organisms with density-dependent juvenile survivability or fertility. Our results also suggested that population-level effects, as indicated by the percentage reduction in equilibrium population size, were often greater than the percentage reductions in vital rates of individuals. Our analysis indicates that assessing population-level risk and developing a risk-reduction strategy without considering density-dependence can be risky.
- Subjects
CYPRINIDAE; PHYSIOLOGICAL effects of zinc; ENVIRONMENTAL impact analysis; ENVIRONMENTAL monitoring; ENVIRONMENTAL protection; BROOK trout; PHYSIOLOGY
- Publication
Ecological Research, 2009, Vol 24, Issue 5, p945
- ISSN
0912-3814
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11284-008-0561-6