A REVIEW OF MODELS OF ALIEN PLANT SPREAD

Citation
Si. Higgins et Dm. Richardson, A REVIEW OF MODELS OF ALIEN PLANT SPREAD, Ecological modelling, 87(1-3), 1996, pp. 249-265
Citations number
96
Categorie Soggetti
Ecology
Journal title
ISSN journal
03043800
Volume
87
Issue
1-3
Year of publication
1996
Pages
249 - 265
Database
ISI
SICI code
0304-3800(1996)87:1-3<249:AROMOA>2.0.ZU;2-F
Abstract
Alien plants invade many ecosystems worldwide, often having substantia l negative effects on ecosystem structure and functioning: The apparen t complexity of invasions has impaired the development of a predictive framework of alien plant spread. Such a framework requires both a con ceptual understanding of the ecology of invasions and appropriate mode lling tools. We demonstrate, using a simple conceptual model and illus trative examples from the literature, that a predictive understanding of invasions can be established. Potential modelling tools are reviewe d by categorizing models of plant spread as either simple-demographic, spatial-phenomenological or spatial-mechanistic, based on the model's data inputs and outputs. The assumptions, predictive potential, knowl edge and data requirements of these modelling tools are discussed in t he context of selecting the most appropriate alien plant spread model for a given case.