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Ecology (communication arising)

Living in synchrony on Greenland coasts?

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Abstract

Theory indicates that correlated weather may synchronize populations1, but the extent to which this holds for non-identical, nonlinear systems is uncertain. Post and Forchhammer2 claim to have shown climate-induced synchrony for musk oxen and caribou that are separated by the Greenland ice sheet. However, logical and mathematical errors undermine their finding. Whether or not large-scale weather can be a major synchronizing factor across species remains an open question.

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Figure 1: Post and Forchhammer's results can be turned either way by a change of measurement unit.

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References

  1. Moran, P. A. P. Aust. J. Zool. 1, 291–298 (1953).

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  2. Post, E. & Forchhammer, M. C. Nature 420, 168–171 (2002).

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  3. Hurrell, J. W. Science 269, 676–679 (1995).

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  4. Forchhammer, M. C., Post, E., Stenseth, N. C. & Boertmann, D. M. Population Ecol. 44, 113–120 (2002).

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Author notes

  1. Giacomo Tavecchia

    Present address: IMEDA-UIB/CSIC-c Miquel Marques 21, 07190, Esporles, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, PO Box 1050 Blindern, Oslo, 0316, Norway

    Jon Olav Vik, Nils Chr. Stenseth, Giacomo Tavecchia & Atle Mysterud

  2. Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1050 Blindern, Oslo, 0316, Norway

    Ole Chr. Lingjærde

Authors
  1. Jon Olav Vik
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  2. Nils Chr. Stenseth
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  3. Giacomo Tavecchia
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  4. Atle Mysterud
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  5. Ole Chr. Lingjærde
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nils Chr. Stenseth.

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Vik, J., Stenseth, N., Tavecchia, G. et al. Living in synchrony on Greenland coasts?. Nature 427, 697–698 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/427697a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/427697a

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