Global Warming and the Power-Laws of Ecology

Arruda-Neto, João D T; Bittencourt-Oliveira, M. C.; Castro, A.; Rodrigues, T. E.; Harari, Joseph; Mesa, J.; Genofre, Godofredo C.

doi:10.4236/acs.2012.21002

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Differences in the scaling exponents may reflect the ability of differing life habits (e.g., parasitism or epidemic infection) to alter power laws (Lagrue, Poulin, & Cohen, 2015;Morand & Krasnov, 2008). Arruda-Neto et al (2012) indicated that the scaling exponent (1< exponent <2) is intimately associated with long-range interactions among all the elements of a given system, plus negative interactions among them within a community. The higher scaling exponents at the Sandhills, Red Hills and Kisatchie sites may reflect the effects from interactions within a local ecosystem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power Laws in Cone Production of Longleaf Pine across Its Native Range in the United States

Chen¹,

Guo²,

Brockway³

2017

SAR

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Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests in the southeastern United States are considered endangered ecosystems, because of their dramatic decrease in area since European colonization and poor rates of recovery related to episodic natural regeneration. Sporadic seed production constrains restoration efforts and complicates sustainable management of this species. Previous studies of other tree species found invariant scaling properties in seed output. Here, using long-term monitoring data for cone production at seven sites across the native range of longleaf pine, we tested the possible presence of two types of power laws. Findings indicate that (i) the frequency distribution of cone production at seven sites, from 1958 to 2014, follows power law relationships with high level of significance; (ii) although there is no general trend in the dynamics of scaling exponents among all sites, there are dynamics of scaling exponents at each site, with sudden changes in scaling exponents generally corresponding to the years of higher or lower cone production; and (iii) Taylor"s power laws explain cone production at different locations, but the scaling exponents vary among these. Results from this computational approach provide new insight into the irregular cone production of longleaf pine at spatial and temporal scales. Integrated ecosystem monitoring will be necessary to more fully understand future changes in cone production.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power Laws in Cone Production of Longleaf Pine across Its Native Range in the United States

Chen¹,

Guo²,

Brockway³

2017

SAR

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“…The scale break and multiple domains in average length and variance relations may indicate different driving forces or regime shifting in organ growth (e.g., sunlight and soil water). Scaling exponents may reflect the difference in living conditions, including all interactions among all elements of the living system (Arruda-Neto et al, 2012). Our methods may be applied to study the pattern variation of plant organs in fossil and modern material alike.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relations in the Size Variation of Plant Organs: a Case Study of Staghorn Sumac Leaves and Longleaf Pine Cone Scales

Chen¹,

Bowman²,

Chen³

2022

JPS

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Plants automatically control the size variations in organs to achieve efficient exploitation of resources. However, it is unclear whether the scaling relationships of plant organs share a similar character for different individuals under varied micro-conditions (e.g., light and soil water). We conducted a case study of the lengths of staghorn sumac leaves and longleaf pine cone scales to test the relationships. Our results indicated that although there were size variations, there existed power laws of frequency in the lengths of staghorn sumac leaves and longleaf pine cone scales. The exponents differed but were positively correlated with the minimum length of leaves or cone scales. Taylor’s Law existed in the lengths of cone scales and some tree leaves, and scale break was observed. This study provides new information on scaling relationships and self-organization in the patterns of tree parts arrangement. Taylor’s Law may be used to detect minor changes in the growth regime.

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“…The multiple domains in the relationship between the average fruit volume and variance may indicate different driving forces or regime shifting in fruit growth, such as sunlight and soil water. Arruda-Neto et al (2012) consider that scaling exponents may reflect the difference in living conditions, including all interactions among all elements of a living system. Parasitism or epidemic infection may also alter the scaling exponents (Lagrue et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation of Fruit Size and Its Frequency Distribution in Chinese Torreya

Chen

2020

International Journal of Fruit Science

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Chinese Torreya (Torreya grandis cv Merrillii) is a vital tree crop species in China's subtropical region. The industrial plantations of this tree have been broadly established across the region. A study on the fruit size and frequency distribution is necessary to the plantation management and the design of machine processing. We measured Chinese Torreya trees and the fruit size at two sites in Zhuji County of Zhejiang Province, the central production area of Chinese Torreya. Our results indicate that the average fruit volume is about 10 cm 3 , with an average length of 3.0 cm and an average width of 2.0 cm. There is no significant difference in the average fruit size (volume, length, width) among different trees. The pattern of frequency distribution in fruit volume follows a unimodal distribution with the highest frequency around the average volume of 10 cm 3 . The pattern of the accumulated frequency distribution is in the "S" shape. Taylor's power laws exist in the fruit volume in most trees with different scaling exponents, which are significantly correlated with the minimum fruit volume on each tree. Multiple domains are found in Taylor's laws for the fruit lengths and widths. Our study provides necessary background information on fruit size and its frequency distribution for Chinese Torreya. The results may also stimulate further research on the complexity between environmental factors and fruit size and distribution.

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Global Warming and the Power-Laws of Ecology

Cited by 6 publications

References 18 publications

Power Laws in Cone Production of Longleaf Pine across Its Native Range in the United States

Power Laws in Cone Production of Longleaf Pine across Its Native Range in the United States

Relations in the Size Variation of Plant Organs: a Case Study of Staghorn Sumac Leaves and Longleaf Pine Cone Scales

Variation of Fruit Size and Its Frequency Distribution in Chinese Torreya

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