Imposed and inherent scales in cellular automata models of habitat

Authored by Peter D Craig

Date Published: 2010

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.07.011

Sponsors: No sponsors listed

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

Both observational and modelling studies of the natural environment are characterised by their `grain' and `extent', the smallest and largest scales represented in time and space. These are imposed scales that should be chosen to ensure that the natural scales of the system are captured in the study. A simple cellular automata model of habitat represents only the presence or absence of vegetation, with global and local interactions described by four empirical parameters. Such a model can be formulated as a nonlinear Markov equation for the habitat probability. The equation produces inherent space and time scales that may be considered as transition scales or the scales for recovery from disturbance. However, if the resolution of the model is changed, the empirical parameters must be changed to preserve the properties of the system. Further, changes in the spatial resolution lead to different interpretations of the spatial structure. In particular, as the resolution is reduced, the apparent dominance of one habitat type over the other increases. The model provides an ability to compare both field and model investigations conducted at different resolutions in time and space. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tags

individual-based models pattern Communities Disturbance Ecological-systems Vegetation dynamics Interspecific competition Intermediate-scale Local interactions Determinism