Abstract
A mathematical model for the dynamics of plant communities in drylands is described and studied using concepts and tools of pattern formation theory. The model bears on a variety of topics of current interest in ecology, including vegetation patchiness in arid and semiarid regions, catastrophic shifts, negative vs. positive plant interactions, niche theory and species richness. More specifically, the model (i) reproduces field observations of various vegetation patterns, such as spots, stripes and gaps, (ii) reproduces observed changes from plant competition to facilitation as aridity stresses increase, (iii) sheds light on desertification phenomena as catastrophic shifts involving transitions between coexisting stable states, (iv) motivates a new classification of aridity based on the inherent stable states of the system, (v) provides a means for calculating niche maps that relate micro-habitats in physical space to hyper-volumes (fundamental niches) in niche space, (vi) demonstrates the importance of collective modes in plant community dynamics. The article concludes with a discussion of the limited scope of the model, possible extensions thereof, and prospects for further developments of niche theory.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Complex Population Dynamics |
Subtitle of host publication | Nonlinear Modeling In Ecology, Epidemiology And Genetics |
Publisher | World Scientific Publishing Co. |
Pages | 49-75 |
Number of pages | 27 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789812771582 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jan 2007 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
- General Medicine