Point pattern analysis of dominant populations in a degraded community in Leymus chinensis + Stipa grandis steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2011.01281

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Steppe dominated byStipa grandis and Leymus chinensis is the zonal vegetation in the temperate steppe region of China and eastern Eurasia. It has been heavily disturbed by overgrazing in China. Our objective was to investigate the spatial patterns of dominant populations in a degraded community of steppe.
Methods We used photography orientation to measure the patterns of dominant populations in a degraded community of typical steppe. We used complete spatial randomness, Poisson cluster process and double-cluster process to analyze the patterns of dominant populations based on point pattern.
Important findings The patterns of dominant populations ofL. chinensis, Agropyron michnoi, S. grandis and Cleistogenes squarrosa fit the nested double-cluster process at all scales in the community block of 5 m × 5 m. This ecological phenomenon may be induced by facilitation.

Key words: complete spatial randomness, dominant population, facilitation, nested double-cluster process, null model, photography orientation, point pattern analysis, Poisson cluster process

WANG Xin-Ting, HOU Ya-Li, LIU Fang, CHANG Ying, WANG Wei, LIANG Cun-Zhu, MIAO Bai-Ling. Point pattern analysis of dominant populations in a degraded community in Leymus chinensis + Stipa grandis steppe in Inner Mongolia, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2011, 35(12): 1281-1289.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1258.2011.01281

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2011/V35/I12/1281

Figures/Tables 5

Table 1 Univariate analyses using Poisson cluster process and nested double-cluster process

物种 Species	复合大尺度聚块格局 Pattern of compound larger-scale clustering				小尺度聚块格局 Pattern of small-scale clustering
物种 Species	n	σ₁	Aρ₁	μ₁	σ₂	Aρ₂		μ₂
羊草 Leymus chinensis	1 649	0.154 5	210.672 0	7.827 3	0.012 0		381.507 0	4.322 3
米氏冰草 Agropyron michnoi	4 398	0.488 5	23.405 0	187.908 6	0.043 1		2 524.008 0	1.742 5
大针茅 Stipa grandis	183	0.312 6	18.559 0	9.860 4	0.017 4		97.595 0	1.875 1
糙隐子草 Cleistogenes squarrosa	1 185	0.532 7	8.596 0	137.854 8	0.048 7		565.927 0	2.093 9

Fig. 1 Mapped points pattern of different populations. A, Leymus chinensis. B, Agropyron michnoi. C, Stipa grandis. D, Cleistogenes squarrosa.

Fig. 2 Point pattern analysis of different populations based on complete spatial randomness. A, Leymus chinensis. B, Agropyron michnoi. C, Stipa grandis. D, Cleistogenes squarrosa. g(r), pair correlation function.

Fig. 3 Point pattern analysis of different populations based on Poisson cluster process. A, Leymus chinensis. B, Agropyron michnoi. C, Stipa grandis. D, Cleistogenes squarrosa. g(r), pair correlation function.

Fig. 4 Point pattern analysis of different populations based on nested double-cluster process. A, Leymus chinensis. B, Agropyron michnoi. C, Stipa grandis. D, Cleistogenes squarrosa. g(r), pair correlation function.

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