Delayed threshold response of a rodent population to human-induced landscape change

摘要: Theory predicts that due to their resilience, ecosystems and populations are expected respond environmental changes not gradually, but in a nonlinear way with sudden abrupt shifts. However, it is easy observe predict the state-and-transition dynamics real world because of time lags between exogenous perturbations species response. Based on yearly surveys, during 21 years (1994–2014), we have studied population desert rodent (the midday gerbil, Meriones meridianus) rangelands southern Russia under landscape change from steppe caused by drastic reduction livestock after collapse USSR early 1990s. The M. meridianus has remained robust for over 10 years, then suddenly dropped down recovered since. step transition high- low-abundance density-regulated equilibrium was accompanied an increase spatio-temporal variability, which may indicate loss resilience. We explain inertia response regime shift species-specific ecology life-history combined habitat fragmentation had reached certain critical threshold level 2000s. This rare well-documented demonstration delayed wild unexploited mammal human-induced change, shed light mechanisms resilience underlying causes changing world.