Hendry, Ruth Juliet (1995) Spatial modelling in plant ecology. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

In this thesis a range of lattice based spatially explicit models of ecosystems are presented
and their applicability to various ecological situations is demonstrated with emphasis on plant
communities These mechanistic and individual based models which include coupled map
lattices and cellular automata aim to produce ecological insights and testable results Models
of both short and long term systems are developed with the former being potentially testable
in the eld and the latter promoting understanding where experimentation is not feasible
A range of graphical and numerical techniques were developed to investigate both plant and
animal model ecosystems
The starting point is a short term single species coupled map lattice which investigates popula
tion structure arising from local competitive interactions The model concludes that increase of
size variation with increasing density indicates the presence of competitive intraspecic asymme
try This idea is applied to crop data where considerable asymmetry is identied emphasising
the need for balancing crop yield and size consistency
Multispecies extensions to this model focus on spatial patterning arising from biotic interac
tions and various numerical techniques underline the asymmetrical relationship between long
and short lived species Environmental heterogeneity is imposed on the plant species in a third
version of the model via the incorporation of an explicit resource base The complex inter
dependence of community and environment is highlighted and illustrated by a model of the
evolution of seed sizes
Through the application of cellular automata to forest and epidemiological systems the concept
of memory such as age or stage structuring is shown to be vital in the generation of spatial
structure in long term ecological systems Analytical investigations generate further insights and
again emphasise the crucial role played by spatial extensiveness in the wide range of ecological
situations considered here
In conclusion lattice models are ideally suited to the study of ecosystems

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	Q Science > QK Botany
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Plant ecology -- Mathematical models, Lattice theory, Spatial ecology, Crops -- Ecology, Pattern formation (Biology)
Official Date:	September 1995
Dates:	Date Event September 1995 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Biological Sciences
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	McGlade, J. M. (Jacqueline Myriam), 1955- ; Rand, D. A. (David A.)
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	385 leaves : ill., charts
Language:	eng

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