Measuring Temporal Variability of Population Density: A Critique

Many authors (e.g., Connell and Sousa 1983; Hansson and Henttonen 1985a, 1985b; Schoener 1985; Ostfeld 1988; Mackin-Rogalska and Nabaglo 1990) have recently compared temporal variation in population density among different axa or among different populations within the same taxon. There are many problems associated with this approach, and most generalizations made in these articles are not valid. In this note, we analyze in detail one specific example and highlight inherent problems associated with such an approach.

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