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A Markov approach for describing post‐fire succession of vegetation
Author(s) -
Isagi Yuji,
Nakagoshi Nobukazu
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/bf02346988
Subject(s) - ecological succession , vegetation (pathology) , environmental science , markov chain , productivity , grassland , ecology , physical geography , geography , mathematics , biology , statistics , medicine , pathology , macroeconomics , economics
Vegetation dynamics in the coastal area of the Seto Inland Sea region in Japan, where wild fires occur frequently, were described using a stationary Markov model. In this region, vegetation types of Miscanthus‐Pleioblastus grassland, Lespedeza‐Mallotus scrub, Pinus‐Rhododendron forest and Crassocephalum‐Erechtites community have been identified, and these show cyclic succession under the influence of fires. The model uses parameters determining fire frequency and rate of successional change to analyze the effect of variation in these parameters on the areal ratio of each vegetation type at equilibrium and on the time taken for one vegetation type to succeed another (elapsed successional time). The effect of fire frequency differs between hypothetical habitats with high and low productivity. A policy for vegetation management in areas of high and low productivity is proposed. The advantages and limitations of applying Markov models to studies of vegetation succession are also discussed.