On the regional stabilization of locally unstable predator-prey relationships

Abstract

The stabilizing effects of interhabitat migration and local population extinction are established by an analysis of the variable Pi, where Pi refers to the proportion of habitats occupied by species i. This is followed by an analysis of the qualitative nature of changes in regional and local factors and their influence on establishing stable or unstable conditions. It is seen that the appropriate balance between interhabitat migration and local population extinction is capable of stabilizing an otherwise unstable predator-prey interaction in a wide variety of situations.