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Related Experiment Video

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How do productivity gradient and diffusion shape patterns in a plant-herbivore grazing system?

Sounov Marick1, Fugo Takasu2, Nandadulal Bairagi1

  • 1Centre for Mathematical Biology and Ecology, Department of Mathematics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India.

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|May 22, 2024
PubMed
Summary

This study models plant-herbivore interactions using reaction-diffusion systems, revealing that herbivore dispersal patterns influence vegetation heterogeneity. High herbivore dispersal can lead to top-down control, altering ecosystem dynamics and species survival.

Keywords:
Bottom-up controlPatternsPlant–herbivore interactionReaction–diffusion modelTop-down controlTuring instability

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Mathematical Biology
  • Population Dynamics

Background:

  • Natural ecosystems exhibit patchy vegetation distributions.
  • Reaction-diffusion models can simulate species heterogeneity.
  • Plant-herbivore interactions are crucial for ecosystem structure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Analyze a 2D reaction-diffusion model of plant-herbivore interactions.
  • Investigate the role of relative herbivore dispersal in generating spatial heterogeneity.
  • Examine how productivity and initial conditions affect population distributions and control mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a spatiotemporal reaction-diffusion model for plant-herbivore dynamics.
  • Analyzed conditions for diffusion-driven (Turing) instability.
  • Incorporated relative herbivore dispersal (movement from high to low vegetation areas) alongside self-diffusion.

Main Results:

  • Heterogeneity emerges with substantial relative herbivore dispersal; low dispersal maintains homogeneity.
  • Bistability in the non-spatial model leads to initial value-dependent pattern formation in the spatiotemporal model.
  • High relative herbivore dispersal can induce top-down control, with herbivores regulating vegetation, contrasting with non-spatial bottom-up control.

Conclusions:

  • Relative herbivore dispersal is a key factor driving spatial heterogeneity in plant-herbivore systems.
  • Ecosystem control can shift from bottom-up to top-down depending on herbivore dispersal rates and productivity.
  • The model predicts complex vegetation patterns and species coexistence or extinction based on dispersal and environmental conditions.