Cluster analysis of spatial patterns in Malaysian tree species

The American Naturalist
Joshua B PlotkinP S Ashton

Abstract

Tree species in tropical rain forests exhibit a rich panoply of spatial patterns that beg ecological explanation. The analysis of tropical census data typically relies on spatial statistics, which quantify the average aggregation tendency of a species. In this article we develop a cluster-based approach that complements traditional spatial statistics in the exploration and analysis of ecological hypotheses for spatial pattern. We apply this technique to six study species within a fully mapped 50-ha forest census in peninsular Malaysia. For each species we identify the scale(s) of spatial aggregation and the corresponding tree clusters. We study the correlation between cluster locations and abiotic variables such as topography. We find that the distribution of cluster sizes exhibits equilibrium and nonequilibrium behavior depending on species life history. The distribution of tree diameters within clusters also varies according to species life history. At different spatial scales, we find evidence for both niche-based and dispersal-limited processes producing spatial pattern. Our methodology for identifying scales of aggregation and clusters is general; we discuss the method's applicability to spatial problems outside of tropica...Continue Reading

References

Aug 20, 1990·Physical Review Letters·K RoseG C Fox
Aug 24, 1999·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·C Wills, R Condit
Sep 16, 2000·Physical Review Letters·L AngeliniS Stramaglia
Sep 27, 2000·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·J B PlotkinP S Ashton
Oct 12, 2000·Journal of Theoretical Biology·J B PlotkinP S Ashton
Apr 25, 2002·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Joshua B PlotkinSimon A Levin

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Citations

Feb 10, 2004·Mathematical Biosciences·Simon A LevinJoshua B Plotkin
Jul 30, 2011·Ecology·Robin L ChazdonJ Pablo Arroyo
Apr 28, 2006·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·T Richard E SouthwoodGeorge Sugihara
Jul 18, 2014·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Stephan GetzinStephen P Hubbell
Nov 15, 2012·The American Naturalist·Efrat SeriNadav M Shnerb
Jun 7, 2005·The American Naturalist·Marcio R Pie, Joshua S Weitz
Feb 25, 2005·The American Naturalist·Johan van de KoppelPeter M J Herman
Sep 28, 2006·The American Naturalist·Juan J Robledo-Arnuncio, Frédéric Austerlitz
Jun 1, 2012·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Sandro AzaeleWilliam E Kunin
Aug 25, 2009·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Cang Hui
Mar 27, 2010·Ecology Letters·Brian J McGill
May 9, 2015·PloS One·Efrat SeriNadav M Shnerb
Oct 24, 2017·Science Advances·Anna TovoAmos Maritan
May 27, 2011·American Journal of Botany·Brian J McGill
Sep 14, 2007·Nature·Todd M ScanlonIgnacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
May 23, 2008·Ecology Letters·Hélène MorlonJessica L Green
Jun 13, 2015·Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics·Ariel G MeyraVictor A Kuz
Mar 27, 2019·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Chia-Hsuan HsuWei-Ta Fang

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