Analysis of periodic growth–disturbance models

In this paper, I present and discuss a potentially useful modeling approach for investigating population dynamics in the presence of disturbance. Using the motivating example of wildfire, I construct and analyze a deterministic model of population dynamics with periodic disturbances independent of spatial effects. Plant population growth is coupled to fire disturbance to create a growth–disturbance model for a fluctuating population. Changes in the disturbance frequency are shown to generate a period-bubbling bifurcation structure and population dynamics that are most variable at intermediate disturbance frequencies. Similar dynamics are observed when the model is extended to include a seed bank. Some general conditions necessary for a rich bifurcation structure in growth–disturbance models are discussed.