POPULATION CYCLES OF THE DOUGLAS-FIR TUSSOCK MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA: LYMANTRIIDAE): THE TIME-DELAY HYPOTHESIS

1978 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 513-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan A. Berryman

AbstractA simple population model is used to test the hypothesis that Douglas-fir tussock moth population cycles are caused by time-delays in the responses of density-dependent (negative feedback) processes. The limited data that are available do not seriously conflict with this hypothesis.

1970 ◽  
Vol 102 (7) ◽  
pp. 836-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Mason

AbstractMethods were developed to standardize sampling of the Douglas-fir tussock moth. Population density was estimated in terms of the number of eggs or larvae per 1,000 sq. in. of branch area of Abies concolor (Gord. and Glend.) Lindl. The density of eggs and larvae varied significantly in different parts of the tree crown. In an outbreak, egg masses were concentrated on inside branches near the bottom of the crown, but in light populations they were most common on outside branches in the top of the crown. Larvae were found over the entire tree, but they were especially concentrated on foliage in the top. Mean density of larvae in the middle crown was representative of the whole tree. Egg density is estimated from whole branches sampled representatively from three crown levels; however, density of larvae is estimated accurately from 17-in. twig samples taken from just the middle crown. Because eggs are clumped in masses and larvae are dispersed over the foliage, larval density can be estimated with much less sampling than can egg density for the same precision.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Smith ◽  
Abhyudai Singh

AbstractWe consider a mechanistic stochastic model of an autoregulatory genetic circuit with time delays. More specifically, a protein is expressed in random bursts from its corresponding gene. The synthesized protein is initially inactive and becomes active after a time delay. Rather than considering a deterministic delay, a key aspect of this work is to incorporate stochastic time delays, where delay is an independent and identically distributed random variable. The active protein inhibits its own production creating a negative feedback loop. Our analysis reveals that for an exponentially-distributed time delay, the noise in the protein levels decreases to the Poisson limit with increasing mean time delay. Interesting, for a gamma-distributed time delay contrasting noise behaviors emerge based on the negative feedback strength. At low feedback strengths the protein noise levels monotonically decreases to the Poisson limit with increasing average delay. At intermediate feedback strengths, the noise levels first increase to reach a maximum, and then decease back to the Poisson limit with increasing average delay. Finally, for strong feedbacks the protein noise levels monotonically increase with the average delay. For each of these scenarios we provide approximate analytical formulas for the protein mean and noises levels, and validate these results by performing exact Monte Carlo simulations. In conclusion, our results uncover a counter intuitive feature where inclusion of stochastic delays in a negative feedback circuit can play a beneficial role in buffering deleterious fluctuations in the level of a protein.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuepeng Li ◽  
Wensheng Yang

Sufficient conditions for permanence of a semi-ratio-dependent predator-prey system with nonmonotonic functional response and time delay    are obtained, where and stand for the density of the prey and the predator, respectively, and is a constant. stands for the time delays due to negative feedback of the prey population.


1977 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 727-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Dahlsten ◽  
R. F. Luck ◽  
E. I. Schlinger ◽  
J. M. Wenz ◽  
W. A. Copper

AbstractDouglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough), populations were studied on white fir at four areas in central Sierra Nevada mountains of California during 1971–73. Life tables were constructed for four populations in El Dorado County. The number of eggs per egg mass decreased and the percentage eggs parasitized doubled with declining moth populations. Hymenopterous parasitoids were collected from all immature stages of the moth: one egg parasitoid, Telenomus californicus Ashmead, six species of larval parasitoids, principally, Hyposoter sp., and 13 species of larval–pupal parasitoids. Tachinids were predominant and accounted for 73% of the parasitoidism of the cocoons in 1971. The apparent mortality of female pupae due to the parasitoid complex was greater than 97% in 1971 and 75% in 1972. One population in Placer County collapsed in 1971 apparently due to a combination of heat exhaustion and low levels of virus infection. Other defoliators, spiders, and several predatory insect species were collected from the foliage samples simultaneously with the tussock moth during larval sampling. Twelve species of "free living" spiders which could be capable of preying on the defoliator complex of white fir were collected. Parasitoids and predators appear to be potentially important biotic factors at low to moderate host population levels. This is the first recorded case where an agent other than the nucleopolyhedrosis virus has been responsible for the collapse of a Douglas-fir tussock moth population.


1987 ◽  
Vol 119 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 707-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.S. Otvos ◽  
J.C. Cunningham ◽  
R.I. Alfaro

AbstractFollowing aerial application of a Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough), nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) product called Virtuss on four plots in 1982, observations were made to determine the impact of these treatments in 1983 and 1984. Treated plots as well as buffer zones between and adjoining the treated plots, and three of the four check plots established in 1982, were monitored. The NPV appeared to have spread from the treated plots to adjoining areas in 1982, effectively reducing the Douglas-fir tussock moth population. This observation suggests that a strategy of spraying alternate swaths of Douglas-fir tussock moth infested stands with this viral insecticide may effectively initiate an epizootic that would control the population at a reduced cost.A naturally occurring NPV epizootic decimated the Douglas-fir tussock moth population in the three check plots in 1983, but severe tree mortality occurred in two of these plots with 60 and 62% of sample trees dead in 1984. Light tree mortality was noted in 1984 in two of the four treated plots with 4 and 7% of sample trees killed. It is concluded that the virus treatments in 1982 were successful in preventing tree mortality.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-xia Dou ◽  
Zhi-sheng Duan ◽  
Xing-bei Jia ◽  
Xiao-gang Li ◽  
Jin-zhao Yang ◽  
...  

A delay-dependent robust fuzzy control approach is developed for a class of nonlinear uncertain interconnected time delay large systems in this paper. First, an equivalent T–S fuzzy model is extended in order to accurately represent nonlinear dynamics of the large system. Then, a decentralized state feedback robust controller is proposed to guarantee system stabilization with a prescribedH∞disturbance attenuation level. Furthermore, taking into account the time delays in large system, based on a less conservative delay-dependent Lyapunov function approach combining with linear matrix inequalities (LMI) technique, some sufficient conditions for the existence ofH∞robust controller are presented in terms of LMI dependent on the upper bound of time delays. The upper bound of time-delay and minimizedH∞performance index can be obtained by using convex optimization such that the system can be stabilized and for all time delays whose sizes are not larger than the bound. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed controller is demonstrated through simulation example.


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