Abstract
Spatial pattern of a biotic population may change over time as its component individuals grow or die out, but whether this is the case for desert annual plants is largely unknown. Here we examined seasonal changes in spatial patterns of two annuals, Eriogonum abertianum and Haplopappus gracilis, in initial (winter) and final (summer) densities. The density was measured as the number of individuals from 384 permanent quadrats (each 0.5 m × 0.5 m) in the Chihuahuan Desert near Portal, Arizona, USA. We used three probability distributions (binomial, Poisson, and negative binomial or NB) that represent three basic spatial patterns (regular, random, and clumped) to fit the observed frequency distributions of densities of the two annuals. Both species showed clear clumped patterns as characterized by the NB and had similar inverse J-shaped frequency distribution curves in two density categories. Also, both species displayed a reduced degree of aggregation from winter to summer after the spring drought (massive die-off), as indicated by the increased k-parameter of the NB and decreased values of another NB parameter p, variance/mean ratio, Lloyd’s Index of Patchiness, and David and Moore’s Index of Clumping. Further, we hypothesized that while the NB (i.e., Poisson-logarithmic) well fits the distribution of individuals per quadrat, its components, the Poisson and logarithmic, may describe the distributions of clumps per quadrat and of individuals per clump, respectively. We thus obtained the means and variances for (1) individuals per quadrat, (2) clumps per quadrat, and (3) individuals per clump. The results showed that the decrease of the density from winter to summer for each plant resulted from the decrease of individuals per clump, rather than from the decrease of clumps per quadrat. The great similarities between the two annuals indicate that our observed temporal changes in spatial patterns may be common among desert annual plants.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D.J. Anderson (1971) ArticleTitlePattern in desert perennials J. Ecol 59 555–560
G.E. Blackman (1935) ArticleTitleA study by statistical methods of the distribution of species in grassland association Ann. Bot 49 749–777
C.I. Bliss R.A. Fisher (1953) ArticleTitleFitting the negative binomial distribution to biological data and a note on the efficient fitting of the negative binomial Biometrics 9 176–200
J. Brattey (1988) ArticleTitleLife history and population biology of adult Acanthocephalus lucii (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) J. Parasitol 74 72–80 Occurrence Handle3357106
J. Brisson J.F. Reynolds (1994) ArticleTitleThe effects of neighbors on root distribution in a creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) population Ecology 75 1693–702
J.H. Brown D.W. Mehlman G.C. Stevens (1995) ArticleTitleSpatial variation in abundance Ecology 76 2028–2043
J.G. Burg (2001) ArticleTitleSeasonal activity and spatial distribution of host-seeking adults of the tick Dermacentor variabilis Med. Veterinary Entomol 15 IssueID4 413–421 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.0269-283x.2001.00329.x
B.S. Cade Q. Guo (2000) ArticleTitleEstimating effects of constraints on plant performance with regression quantiles Oikos 91 245–254 Occurrence Handle10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.910205.x
K.K. Caylor H.H. Shugart P.R. Dowty T.M. Smith (2003) ArticleTitleTree spacing along the Kalahari transect in southern Africa J. Arid Environ 54 IssueID2 281–296 Occurrence Handle10.1006/jare.2002.1090
S.B. Chapman (1976) Methods in Plant Ecology Blackwell Oxford
R. Condit P.S. Ashton P. Baker S. Bunyavejchewin S. Gunatilleke N. Gunatilleke S.P. Hubbell R.B. Foster A. Itoh J.V. LaFrankie H.S. Lee E. Losos N. Manokaran R. Sukumar T. Yamakura (2000) ArticleTitleSpatial patterns in the distribution of tropical tree species Science 288 1414–1418 Occurrence Handle10.1126/science.288.5470.1414 Occurrence Handle10827950
P. Couteron K. Kokou (1997) ArticleTitleWoody vegetation spatial patterns in a semi-arid savanna of Burkina FasoWest Africa Plant Ecol 132 211–227 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1009723906370
T.O. Crist J.A. Wiens (1996) ArticleTitleThe distribution of ant colonies in a semiarid landscape: implications for community and ecosystem process Oikos 76 301–311
M.R.T. Dale (1999) Spatial Pattern Analysis in Plant Ecology Cambridge University Press Cambridge
F.N. David P.G. Moore (1954) ArticleTitleNotes on contagious distributions in plant populations Ann. Bot 18 47–53
Y.Q. Ding (1994) Mathematical Ecology of Insects Science Press Beijing, China
E.J. Dorfman R.T. Kingsford (2001) ArticleTitleScale-dependent patterns of abundance and habitat use by cormorants in arid Australia and the importance of nomadism J. Arid Environ 49 IssueID4 677–694 Occurrence Handle10.1006/jare.2001.0825
N.S. Eccles K.J. Esler R.M. Cowling (1999) ArticleTitleSpatial pattern analysis in Namaqualand desert plant communities: evidence for general positive interactions Plant Ecol 142 IssueID1–2 71–85 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1009857824912
R.A. Fisher (1941) ArticleTitleThe negative binomial distribution Ann. Eugenics 11 182–187
R.A. Fisher A.S. Corbet C.B. Williams (1943) ArticleTitleThe relation between the number of species and the number of individuals in a random sample from an animal population J. Anim. Ecol 12 42–58
G.A. Fox (1989) ArticleTitleConsequences of flowering-time variation in a desert annual, adaptation and history Ecology 70 1294–1306
O. Garat E.V. Trumper D.E. Gorla N. Perez-Harguindeguy (1999) ArticleTitleSpatial pattern of the Río Cuarto corn disease vectorDelphacodes kuscheli Fennah (Hom., Delphacidae), in oat fields in Argentina and design of sampling plans J. Appl. Entomol 123 IssueID2 121–126 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1439-0418.1999.00319.x
G.I. Garson E.B. Moser (1995) ArticleTitleAggregation and the Pearson chi-square statistic for homogeneous proportions and distributions in ecology Ecology 76 IssueID7 2258–2269
C.A. Gilligan D.J. Bailey (1997) ArticleTitleComponents of pathozone behaviour New Phytol 135 IssueID3 475–490 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1469-8137.1997.00673.x
T.J. Glover K.J. Mitchell (2001) An Introduction to Biostatistics McGraw-Hill New York
P. Greig-Smith (1964) Quantitative Plant Ecology, 2nd ed Butterworths London
P. Greig-Smith (1983) Quantitative Plant Ecology, 3rd ed Oxford Blackwell
Q. Guo J.H. Brown (1997) ArticleTitleInteractions between winter and summer annuals in the Chihuahuan Desert Oecologia 111 123–128 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004420050215
Q. Guo J.H. Brown B.F. Enquist (1998) ArticleTitleUsing constraint lines to characterize plant performance Oikos 83 237–245
J.R. Gutierrez W.G. Whitford (1987) ArticleTitleChihuahuan Desert annuals: importance of water and nitrogen Ecology 68 2032–2045
F. He K.J. Gaston (2000) ArticleTitleEstimating species abundance from occurrence Am. Natural 156 IssueID5 553–559 Occurrence Handle10.1086/303403
F. He P. Legendre J.V. LaFrankie (1997) ArticleTitleDistribution patterns of tree species in a Malaysian tropical rain forest J. Vegetat. Sci 8 105–114
S.H. Hurlbert (1990) ArticleTitleSpatial distribution of the montane unicorn Oikos 58 257–271
R.S. Inouye G.S. Byers J.H. Brown (1980) ArticleTitleEffects of predation and competition on survivorship, fecundity, and community structure of desert annuals Ecology 61 1344–1351
P.C.T. Jones J.E. Mollison M.H. Quenouille (1948) ArticleTitleA technique for the quantitative estimation of soil microorganisms. Statistical note J. Gen. Microbiol 2 54–69
J.D. Karagatzides H.R. Manson L.J.S. Tsuji (2003) ArticleTitleSpatial distribution and performance of Scirpus americanus ramets acrossa temperate intertidal marsh resource gradient Plant Ecol 169 215–226 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1026015218282
R. Knudsen M.A. Curtis R. Kristoffersen (2004) ArticleTitleAggregation of helminths: the role of feeding behavior of fish hosts J. Parasitol 90 IssueID1 1–7 Occurrence Handle15040660
M. Lloyd (1967) ArticleTitleMean crowding J. Anim. Ecol 36 1–30
M.C. Molles (1999) Ecology: Concepts and Applications McGraw-Hill New York
L. Peacock S. Herrick P. Brain (1999) ArticleTitleSpatio-temporal dynamics of willow beetle (Phratora vulgatissima) in short-rotation coppice willows grown as monocultures or a genetically diverse mixture Agric. Forest Entomol 1 IssueID4 287–296 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1461-9563.1999.00039.x
S.L. Peng (1996) Community Dynamics in Lower Subtropical Forest Science Press Beijing, China
J.N. Perry L.R. Taylor (1988) ArticleTitleFamilies of distributions for repeated samples of animal counts Biometrics 44 881–890
D.L. Phillips J.A. MacMahon (1981) ArticleTitleCompetition and spacing patterns in desert shrubs J. Ecol 69 97–115
E.C. Pielou (1969) Introduction to Mathematical Ecology Wiley-Interscience New York
E.C. Pielou (1974) Population and Community Ecology Gordon and Breach New York
E.C. Pielou (1985) Mathematical Ecology, 2nd ed Wiley-Interscience New York
I.C. Prentice M.J.A. Werger (1985) ArticleTitleClump spacing in a desert dwarf shrub community Vegetatio 63 133–139 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00044064
M.H. Quenouille (1949) ArticleTitleA relation between the logarithmic, Poisson and negative binomial series Biometrics 5 162–164
V. Ramakrishnan D. Meeter (1993) ArticleTitleNegative binomial cross-tabulation, with application to abundance data Biometrics 49 195–207
F.M. Schurr O. Bossdorf S.J. Milton J. Schumacher (2004) ArticleTitleSpatial pattern formation in semi-arid shrubland: a priori predicted versus observed pattern characteristics Plant Ecol 173 IssueID2 271–282 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029335.13948.87
M.W. Service (1993) Mosquito Ecology Field Sampling Methods, 2nd ed Elsevier Science New York
S.S. Shaukat I.A. Siddiqui (2004) ArticleTitleSpatial pattern analysis of seeds of an arable soil seed bank and its relationship with above-ground vegetation in an arid region J. Arid Environ 57 311–327 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0140-1963(03)00112-5
C. Skarpe (1991) ArticleTitleSpatial patterns and dynamics of woody vegetation in an arid savanna J. Vegetat. Sci 2 565–572
L.R Taylor I.P. Woiwod J.N. Perry (1978) ArticleTitleThe density dependence of spatial behaviour and the rarity of randomness J. Anim. Ecol 47 383–406
B.S. Wang M.G. Li S.L. Peng (1995) Phytopopulology Guangdong Higher Education Press Guangzhou
W.E. Waters (1959) ArticleTitleA quantitative measure of aggregation in insects J. Econ. Entomol 52 IssueID6 1180–1184
G.C. White R.E. Bennetts (1996) ArticleTitleAnalysis of frequency count data using the negative binomial distribution Ecology 77 IssueID8 2549–2557
M.C. Whiteside (1974) ArticleTitleChydorid (Cladocera) ecology: seasonal patterns and abundance of populations in Elk LakeMinnesota Ecology 55 IssueID3 538–550
J.A. Zavala-Hurtado P.L. Valverde M.D.C. Herrera-Fuentes A. Díaz-Solís (2000) ArticleTitleInfluence of leaf-cutting ants (Atta mexicana) on performance and dispersion patterns of perennial desert shrubs in an inter-tropical region of Central Mexico J. Arid Environ 46 IssueID1 93–102 Occurrence Handle10.1006/jare.2000.0655
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yin, ZY., Guo, Q., Ren, H. et al. Seasonal changes in spatial patterns of two annual plants in the Chihuahuan Desert, USA. Plant Ecol 178, 189–199 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-004-3285-x
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-004-3285-x