{"title":"`Spatial patterns as long transients in submersed-floating plant competition with biocontrol","authors":"Linhao Xu, Donald L. DeAngelis","doi":"10.1007/s12080-024-00584-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>A cellular automata model was developed and parameterized to test the effectiveness of application of biological control insects to water hyacinth (<i>Pontederia crassipes</i>), which is an invasive floating plant species in many parts of the world and outcompetes many submersed native aquatic species in southern Florida. In the model, <i>P. crassipes</i> was allowed to compete with Nuttall’s waterweed (<i>Elodea nuttallii</i>). In the absence of biocontrol acting on the <i>P. crassipes</i>, <i>E. nuttallii</i> excluded <i>P. crassipes</i> at low concentrations of the limiting nutrient (nitrogen), and the reverse occurred at high nutrient concentrations. At intermediate values, alternative stable states could occur; either <i>P. crassipes</i> alone or a mixture of the two species. When the biocontrol agent, the weevil <i>Neochetina eichhorniae</i>, was applied in the model, there was initially a rapid reduction of the <i>P. crassipes</i>, however, over time a regular striped pattern of moving spatially alternating stripes of <i>P. crassipes</i> and <i>E. nuttallii</i> emerged. -This pattern of moving stripes emerged and persisted over thousands of days but could quickly transform into an irregular pattern at some apparently random time, when either external stochasticity (added adult weevils) or only the weak internal stochasticity of weevil movements occurred. The cause of the end of the long transient can be traced to a single slightly irregular pixel within the striped pattern. Model parameters were varied to study effects of plant growth rate, nutrient concentration and nutrient diffusion rate on the dynamics of the system.</p>","PeriodicalId":51198,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Ecology","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Theoretical Ecology","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-024-00584-6","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
A cellular automata model was developed and parameterized to test the effectiveness of application of biological control insects to water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes), which is an invasive floating plant species in many parts of the world and outcompetes many submersed native aquatic species in southern Florida. In the model, P. crassipes was allowed to compete with Nuttall’s waterweed (Elodea nuttallii). In the absence of biocontrol acting on the P. crassipes, E. nuttallii excluded P. crassipes at low concentrations of the limiting nutrient (nitrogen), and the reverse occurred at high nutrient concentrations. At intermediate values, alternative stable states could occur; either P. crassipes alone or a mixture of the two species. When the biocontrol agent, the weevil Neochetina eichhorniae, was applied in the model, there was initially a rapid reduction of the P. crassipes, however, over time a regular striped pattern of moving spatially alternating stripes of P. crassipes and E. nuttallii emerged. -This pattern of moving stripes emerged and persisted over thousands of days but could quickly transform into an irregular pattern at some apparently random time, when either external stochasticity (added adult weevils) or only the weak internal stochasticity of weevil movements occurred. The cause of the end of the long transient can be traced to a single slightly irregular pixel within the striped pattern. Model parameters were varied to study effects of plant growth rate, nutrient concentration and nutrient diffusion rate on the dynamics of the system.
期刊介绍:
Theoretical Ecology publishes innovative research in theoretical ecology, broadly defined. Papers should use theoretical approaches to answer questions of ecological interest and appeal to and be readable by a broad audience of ecologists. Work that uses mathematical, statistical, computational, or conceptual approaches is all welcomed, provided that the goal is to increase ecological understanding. Papers that only use existing approaches to analyze data, or are only mathematical analyses that do not further ecological understanding, are not appropriate. Work that bridges disciplinary boundaries, such as the intersection between quantitative social sciences and ecology, or physical influences on ecological processes, will also be particularly welcome.
All areas of theoretical ecology, including ecophysiology, population ecology, behavioral ecology, evolutionary ecology, ecosystem ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem and landscape ecology are all appropriate. Theoretical papers that focus on applied ecological questions are also of particular interest.