Transient dynamics is a growing concern in population biology and is particularly relevant for rare species that colonize ecotones. Euptelea pleiospermum is a threatened species endemic to eastern Asia and a common component in riparian forests. The study of transient dynamics can help better understand and manage the demography of E. pleiospermum.  

Researchers form Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, explored the transient ampli？cation and attenuation envelopes, as well as elasticities of population growth rates and population momentum based on stage-structured transition matrix models to articulate the population dynamics of Euptelea pleiospermum in the Shennongjia area, central China.

The results demonstrated that transient population growth rates and eventual population sizes (i.e. population momentum) differed sufficiently from asymptotic expectations. But transient population fluctuations as measured by ampli？cation and attenuation envelopes were modest in size. The potential of transient ampli？cation and attenuation were perhaps associated with reproduction of early mature individuals and the mortality of juveniles, respectively. Both asymptotic and transient population growth of E. pleiospermum were most sensitive to survival, less sensitive to tree growth, and largely insensitive to fecundity, whereas the importance of vegetative reproduction was pronounced over fecundity. Underrepresented or overrepresented stages in the initial structure relative to stable stage distribution had comparatively larger elasticities of transient population growth and population momentum, suggesting the importance of vital rates of ‘‘biased’’ stages in driving transient dynamics. Their results highlighted the use of transient envelopes and elasticities in guiding the adaptive management for the target species.
 

This work was Relevant results published in Biological Conservation (2013,161:193–202) entitled “Transient and asymptotic demographics of the riparian species Euptelea pleiospermum in the Shennongjia area, central China”.

Article link:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320713000785

 Simulated population trajectories of E. pleiospermum  initiated with different stage structure at a total density of 1