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Aggregation dynamics explain vegetation patch-size distributions
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Irvine, Michael Alastair, Bull, J. C. and Keeling, Matthew James (2015) Aggregation dynamics explain vegetation patch-size distributions. Theoretical Population Biology, 108 . pp. 70-74. doi:10.1016/j.tpb.2015.12.001 ISSN 0040-5809.
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WRAP_1472179-lf-240516-aggregation-postsubmission.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (587Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tpb.2015.12.001
Abstract
Vegetation patch-size distributions have been an intense area of study for theoreticians and applied ecologists alike in recent years. Of particular interest is the seemingly ubiquitous nature of power-law patch-size distributions emerging in a number of diverse ecosystems. The leading explanation of the emergence of these power-laws is due to local facilitative mechanisms. There is also a common transition from power law to exponential distribution when a system is under global pressure, such as grazing or lack of rainfall. These phenomena require a simple mechanistic explanation. Here, we study vegetation patches from a spatially implicit, patch dynamic viewpoint. We show that under minimal assumptions a power-law patch-size distribution appears as a natural consequence of aggregation. A linear death term also leads to an exponential term in the distribution for any non-zero death rate. This work shows the origin of the breakdown of the power-law under increasing pressure and shows that in general, we expect to observe a power law with an exponential cutoff (rather than pure power laws). The estimated parameters of this distribution also provide insight into the underlying ecological mechanisms of aggregation and death.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QH Natural history | ||||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Research Centres > Centre for Complexity Science Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Life Sciences (2010- ) |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Spatial ecology | ||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Theoretical Population Biology | ||||||||
Publisher: | Academic Press | ||||||||
ISSN: | 0040-5809 | ||||||||
Official Date: | 29 December 2015 | ||||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 108 | ||||||||
Number of Pages: | 5 | ||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 70-74 | ||||||||
DOI: | 10.1016/j.tpb.2015.12.001 | ||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 25 May 2016 | ||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 29 December 2016 | ||||||||
Funder: | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
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