Abstract
In many stage-structured species, different life stages often occupy separate spatial niches in a heterogeneous environment. Life stages of the giant flour beetle Tribolium brevicornis (Leconte), in particular adults and pupae, occupy different locations in a homogeneous habitat. This unique spatial pattern does not occur in the well-studied stored grain pests T. castaneum (Herbst) and T. confusum (Duval). We propose density dependent dispersal as a causal mechanism for this spatial pattern. We model and explore the spatial dynamics of T. brevicornis with a set of four density dependent integrodifference and difference equations. The spatial model exhibits multiple attractors: a spatially uniform attractor and a patchy attractor with pupae and adults spatially separated. The model attractors are consistent with experimental observations.
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Robertson, S.L., Cushing, J.M. & Costantino, R.F. Life Stages: Interactions and Spatial Patterns. Bull Math Biol 74, 491–508 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-011-9705-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-011-9705-x