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The second case is most interesting because it is important to understand why a population suddenly
increases in its density. Usually an outbreak goes through the following phases:
The building phase in insect pests often goes unnoticed because the effect of pests on host plants is still
very small. Regular monitoring helps to detect population growth before the pest species devastates
host plants over large areas.
Initially ecologists tried to explain outbreaks by direct impact of environmental factors. However, the
magnitude of change in these factors was always much smaller than the magnitude of change in
population density. Attempts to find a "releasing factor" usually fail.
Examples of "amplifiers":
2. Density-independent processes.
These amplifiers can be triggered only at specific state of the population system. When an outbreak is
already in progress, additional disturbances have almost no effect. Only when an outbreak cycle is
finished, then the population may again respond to another disturbance. In some cases, even small
disturbances cause an outbreak, and then the population is permanently in an outbreak cycle.
Destruction of resources
Natural enemies
Unfavorable weather
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