The population dynamics and control of the parasitic nematode Trichostrongylus tenuis in red grouse in the North of England.

Abstract

In this chapter we present evidence which suggests that the parasitic nematode Trichostrongylus tenuis is responsible for producing the patterns of cyclic abundance commonly observed in red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus. We first review the life history of the parasite, then outline some mathematical models that may be used to explore the population dynamics of this system. This model produces cycles similar to the observed cycles for reasonable parameter values. Different ways of controlling the parasites are discussed and other work on grouse populations are discussed in terms of our own work.