Extending point pattern analysis for objects of finite size and irregular shape

• Published in: The Journal of ecology Vol. 94; no. 4; pp. 825 - 837
• Main Authors: WIEGAND, THORSTEN, KISSLING, W. DANIEL, CIPRIOTTI, PABLO A, AGUIAR, MARTÍN R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2006; British Ecological Society; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: adults; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Approximation; Argentina; Arid zones; Biological and medical sciences; botanical composition; community structure; computer software; Ecological modeling; Ecologists; Ecology; ecosystems; facilitation; Flowers & plants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Grasses; grid‐based implementation; Human ecology; juveniles; mathematical models; Mechanisms Driving Community Structure; Modeling; neighbourhood effects; Null condition; null models; pair‐correlation function; plant communities; plant competition; Plant ecology; Plant growth; Plants; point pattern analysis; Ripley's K‐function; second‐order spatial statistics; shape; shrublands; Shrubs; Simulation; simulation models; size; spatial distribution; Spatial models; spatial pattern; steppes; Argentina; grid-based implementation; point pattern analysis; pair-correlation function; community structure; null models; second-order spatial statistics; Ripley's K-function; facilitation; neighbourhood effects; Pattern analysis; spatial pattern

1 We use a grid- and simulation-based approach to extend point pattern analysis to deal with plants of finite size and irregular shape, and compare the results of our approach with that of the conventional point approximation. The plants are approximated by using an underlying grid and may occupy se...