Model of coexistence of annual plants in a heterogeneous habitat

Authors

  • Andrzej Pekalski Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Wroc law, pl. M. Borna 9, 50-203 Wroc law, Poland
  • Michel Droz Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Geneva, 1211 Gen`eve 4, Switzerland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2018.5.2.369

Keywords:

plant dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations, water supply-demand mismatch, annual plants, spatial heterogeneity

Abstract

We propose a computer simulation type model describing dynamics of a system of annual plants competing for just one resource and living in a heterogeneous habitat. Plants do interact via blocking a part of the resource in the nearest neighbourhood. Species differ in only one aspect – demand for the resource. Plant which has supply equal demand has the largest probability to survive, while any deviation diminishes it. Heterogeneity in space is introduced in two ways - by a gradient reducing supply along one axis and a system of patches, each having a different level of the resource. We show that without any trade-off mechanism, speciation or immigrants, coexistence of species is possible in a stationary state. We find out also that the two descriptions of the heterogeneity lead to nearly the same numbers of surviving species, although the spatial structures and order of abundance of the populations are different.

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Published

03-04-2018

How to Cite

1.
Pekalski A, Droz M. Model of coexistence of annual plants in a heterogeneous habitat. Plant Sci. Today [Internet]. 2018 Apr. 3 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];5(2):55-63. Available from: https://horizonepublishing.com/journals/index.php/PST/article/view/369

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Research Articles