SKM 2023 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 11: Poster Session I
BP 11.58: Poster
Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 12:30–15:30, P1
Monodominance in tropical forests: modelling the influences of biological mechanisms on cluster formation — •Julia Meyer1, Pia Backmann2, and Alexander K. Hartmann1 — 1Institute of Physics, University of Oldenburg, Germany — 2University of Leipzig, Germany
Monodominance in tropical forests describes the formation of patches dominated by a single tree species, i.e., clusters, in an otherwise highly species-rich forest. The reasons for its emergence are not fully understood yet, probably multiple causes exist [1], depending on the specific forest.
Recently, a statistical-mechanics model was introduced [2] which allowed for an analysis of the cluster formation process. A phase transition between a non-percolating and a monodominated percolating phase could be observed, and analyzed by finite-size scaling techniques. The properties of this system, such as the morphology of clusters, are quite distinct from standard percolation. Here, we numerically [3] further investigate extensions of the model by including different biological mechanisms, like shade tolerance, that are believed to potentially favor monodominance. We analyze how the properties of this phase transition change for the modified model.
[1] K. S.-H. Peh, S.L. Lewis, and J. Lloyd, J. Ecol. 99, 891 (2011).
[2] M. Kazmierczak et al., J. R. Soc. Interface 13, 20160123 (2016).
[3] A.K. Hartmann, Big practical Guide to Computer Simulations (World Scientific, 2015).