Influence of aggregation on benthic coral reef spatio-temporal dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Spatial patterning of coral reef sessile benthic organisms can constrain competitive and demographic rates, with implications for dynamics over a range of time scales. However, techniques for quantifying and analysing reefscape behaviour, particularly at short to intermediate time scales (weeks to decades), are lacking. An analysis of the dynamics of coral reefscapes simulated with a lattice model shows consistent trends that can be categorized into four stages: a repelling stage that moves rapidly away from an unstable initial condition, a transient stage where spatial rearrangements bring key competitors into contact, an attracting stage where the reefscape decays to a steady-state attractor, and an attractor stage. The transient stage exhibits nonlinear dynamics, whereas the other stage

SUBMITTER: Brito-Millan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6408412 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature