Abstract
We have developed a simulation model orientated towards the ecological situation of the eastern coast of the Large Aral Sea to gain a better understanding of the unique primary succession on the huge desiccated area of the former Aral Sea. The simulation arena represents a transect of 6 km following the direction of the receding seawater. The environmental conditions in the model change along this transect, reflecting the increasing salt and inundation stress. Plant functional types (PFTs) are used instead of species. They are characterized by their life form (perennial, annual), maximum seed dispersal distance (500–1,000 m) and stress tolerance. We have performed simulation experiments for different modes of seed dispersal (global seed bank versus local dispersal) and have changed the spatial scale of environmental heterogeneity to investigate their impact on the PFT diversity of the system. We have found that a finite dispersal potential is essential for coexistence of PFTs and that diversity is highest for a moderate scale of environmental heterogeneity. Our findings highlight the importance of the explicit consideration of space in multispecies studies and ecological theory.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) and the project coordinator (Research Center Jülich GmbH, PTJ Berlin) for financial support (project no. 0330389) as well as the Academy of Science, Botanical Institute (Almaty) for their overall cooperation. J.G. was also supported by the Department of Ecological Modelling, UFZ, the European Community (MOIF-CT-2006-40571) and the BMBF.
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Groeneveld, J., Wucherer, W., Dimeyeva, L.A., Jeltsch, F., Wissel, C., Breckle, SW. (2012). Spatial Distribution of Plant Functional Types Along Stress Gradients – A Simulation Study Orientated Towards the Plant Succession on the Desiccating Aral Sea Floor. In: Breckle, SW., Wucherer, W., Dimeyeva, L., Ogar, N. (eds) Aralkum - a Man-Made Desert. Ecological Studies, vol 218. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21117-1_13
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