Growth dynamics of tropical savanna grass species using projection matrices

Modelling competitive ability of Neotropical savanna grasses: Simulation of shading and drought impacts on biomass production

“…The maximum number of levels achieved by a plant during the year varies by replicate and species; typically five levels for E, seven for L, and ten for A. For more details see Acevedo and Raventós (2002) and Raventós et al (2004). A second set of data was obtained in April 2006 from sampling a rectangular area of 4 × 7 m at this site, measuring the coordinates of each individual plant and the number of shoots.…”

“…To model effects of shading we need to know the spatial distribution of shoots segments at each level. For this we use the matrix model from Raventós et al (2004) structured by 10 cm vertical levels. The three species differ in the maximum height reached by the end of the growing season: A reaches 10 levels, L reaches 7 levels and E reaches 5 levels.…”

“…where, as defined earlier, m j is number of 10 cm-levels reached by plants of the species j, and the first level i = 1 is excluded from the summation because shoots are non-photosynthetically active at this level (Raventós et al, 2004). Also the total number of shoot segments of species j that are in the shade and transpire is .…”

Coupling soil water and shoot dynamics in three grass species: A spatial stochastic model on water competition in Neotropical savanna

“…In previous research, we modelled the growth dynamics of Neotropical savanna grasses (Raventos et al, 2004;Segarra et al, 2005a,b), modelling competition as an interaction term parameterized by a coefficient, following the typical pattern of Lotka-Volterra models. Here, we went beyond the use of a coefficient and took a first step in formulating a process-based model, taking into account eco-physiology and root measurements.…”

Development of an object-orientated database for wildfire modelling

“…• Allometric models describing relationships between the major dimensions of plants, mostly shrubs and trees [1,2] • Phytosociological Succession Models [3,4] providing schemes and pathways of change from one vegetation type to another along post-fire gradients, or post-disturbance gradients • Gap Models, describing vegetation dynamics initiated by disturbances [5,6] • Vital Attribute Models [7,8] relating to functional classification of traits determining the survival, regeneration and dispersal dynamics [9] • Plant Architecture Models [10][11][12] predicting plant growth and form (and sometimes plant growth anomalies) throughout the plant's life, and in reaction to different stresses such as fire, competition, and management practices • Landscape dynamics and mosaics models [13,14] addressing the issues of e.g. species interactions, landscape engineering, and landuse planning.…”