Author(s): Qiuwen Chen
Linked Author(s): Qiuwen Chen
Keywords: Cellular automata; Charophyte; Pectinatus; Competitivegrowth; Lake Veluwe
Abstract: Cellular automata (CA) constitute a mathematical system that simulates the spatial-temporal patterns in discrete steps according to prescribed local evolution rules. The approach consists of three main components: a set of cells, cell properties or states, and local evolution rules. For a long time, aggregated-based ecological models formulated by partial differential equations (PDE) are criticised for violating two fundamental ecological realities: (1) species are individually different and (2) interactions happen locally. As an alternative, the CA model paradigm is increasingly used in ecological modelling due to the high flexibility of implementing the individual differences and local interactions. Especially, the object-oriented programming technique greatly facilitates this implementation. In this paper, a cellular automata approach is briefly described and then applied to modelling the competitive growths of two dominant species, Pectinatus and Charophyte, in Lake Veluwe, The Netherlands. The results from this CA based model are seen to be both qualitatively and quantitatively in agreement with field observations.
Year: 2001