  Periodicity in population dynamics is a fundamental issue. In addition to
current species-specific analyses, allometry facilitates understanding of limit
cycles amongst different species. So far, body-size regressions have been
derived for the oscillation period of the population densities of warm-blooded
species, in particular herbivores. Here, we extend the allometric analysis to
other clades, allowing for a comparison between the obtained slopes and
intercepts. The oscillation periods were derived from databases and original
studies to cover a broad range of conditions and species. Then, values were
related to specific body size by regression analysis. For different groups of
herbivorous species, the oscillation period increased as a function of
individual mass as a power law with exponents of 0.11-0.27. The intercepts of
the resulting linear regressions indicated that cycle times for equally-sized
species increased from homeotherms up to invertebrates. Overall, cycle times
for predators did not scale to body size. Implications for these differences
were addressed in the light of intra- and interspecific delays.
