Size hierarchy and stability in competitive plant populations |
| |
Authors: | Masayuki Yokozawa |
| |
Institution: | (1) Research Team on Global Agro-Environment, National Institute of Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-1-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba 305-8604, Japan |
| |
Abstract: | A neighbourhood-based competition model for plant individuals is studied to evaluate how a hierarchical structure related
to size may emerge in plant communities. It is shown by numerical simulations and linear stability analysis that many stable
states exist in the hierarchical structure when both the total number of individuals and the degree of asymmetry of competition
are high. When the hierarchical structures are self-organized by the dynamic instability of the homogeneous state due to non-linearity
of competition, it is proved that these states are always locally stable. The relevance of the results to size structures
in real plant communities (boreal forests vs tropical and temperate forests) is discussed. This is suggested to be the mechanism
responsible for the coexistence of species in plant communities. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|