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Community dynamics: what happens when we rerun the tape?
M Savage1, B Sawhill, M Askenazi
1Department of Geography, UCLA, LA, CA 90095-1524, USA.
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|August 10, 2000
Summary
Forest disturbances shape species diversity. Intermediate disturbance levels promote the most diverse forest development pathways and species coexistence, challenging traditional succession models.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Forestry
- Ecological Modeling
Background:
- Historical events like disturbances influence forest structure and species coexistence.
- The intermediate disturbance hypothesis posits that moderate disturbance maximizes species diversity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze long-term forest dynamics and species coexistence using an agent-based model.
- To investigate the relationship between disturbance frequency and forest developmental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- An agent-based model simulating forest development under varying lightning strike frequencies.
- Analysis of species coexistence, diversity (Shannon's index), and landscape patterns.
Main Results:
- Low disturbance leads to ordered landscapes dominated by late successional species.
- High disturbance results in oscillations between early successional species and large disturbances.
- Intermediate disturbance yields the broadest developmental pathways, highest diversity, and unpredictable, nonequilibrium dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Disturbance regime critically influences forest structure and diversity.
- Intermediate disturbance promotes a wider range of alternative developmental pathways and diversity configurations.
- Forest dynamics are complex, characterized by balanced competition and nonequilibrium states under intermediate disturbance.