T. Spataro et C. Bernstein, Influence of parasitized adult reproduction on host-parasitoid dynamics: An age-structured model, THEOR POP B, 58(3), 2000, pp. 197-210
In this work, we develop an age-structured model (based on delay-differenti
al equations) to investigate the dynamics of host-parasitoid systems in whi
ch adults are the target of parasitism. The rare previous work dealing with
such interactions assumes that hosts are functionally dead as soon as they
are attacked. We relax this assumption and show that low reproduction rate
s of parasitized hosts can promote stability at the expense of cyclic behav
ior (either long term or generation cycles). Higher reproduction rates make
the regulation of the host population by parasitoids impossible. As it is
the case in models in which adults are subjected to attacks but do not repr
oduce, our model generates generation cycles for a larger set of parameter
values than in models in which juveniles are attacked. (C) 2000 Academic Pr
ess.