Summary
The dynamics of a one-herbivore-many-plants system can often be summarised by a one-herbivore-one-plant model. The many plants are modelled as if they were a single plant species whose intrinsic rate of increase equals the harmonic mean of the specific intrinsic rates. The relationship between the parameters of the simple and complex system is given, and exceptions, nuances and stability properties are explored.
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Caughley, G. Vegetation complexity and the dynamics of modelled grazing systems. Oecologia 54, 309–312 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379998
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379998