Evol Ecol Res 7: 1213-1220 (2005)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

The upper limit for the exponent of Taylor’s power law is a consequence of deterministic population growth

Ford Ballantyne IV*

Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA

Address all correspondence to Ford Ballantyne IV, Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0202, USA.
e-mail: fballantyne@ucsd.edu

ABSTRACT

Question: The exponent of Taylor’s power law has an apparent upper limit of two. What might produce that limit?

Method: I calculate Taylor’s power law for data generated by three well-known single-species population dynamics models.

Result: Rescaling dimensionless population growth equations leads to the upper limit of two. Empirical values less than two reflect a departure from determinism. This will allow improved understanding of the combined effects of deterministic dynamics and stochasticity on population fluctuations and long-term stability.

Keywords: deterministic dynamics, population growth, scaling, stochasticity, Taylor’s power law.

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