View Item 
        •   Utrecht University Student Theses Repository Home
        • UU Theses Repository
        • Theses
        • View Item
        •   Utrecht University Student Theses Repository Home
        • UU Theses Repository
        • Theses
        • View Item
        JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

        Browse

        All of UU Student Theses RepositoryBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

        Investigating a Competitive Two Species System that Produces Oscillations

        Thumbnail
        View/Open
        Master Thesis - Digital.pdf (11.33Mb)
        Publication date
        2010
        Author
        Hebly, R.A.
        Metadata
        Show full item record
        Summary
        The interactions between two species can have great influences on the ecosystem scale. A mathematical model, based on the model by Gilad et al. (2007) for water limited systems, represents a two species system with a tradeoff between the species. One species is an ecosystem engineer and is responsible for the increased infiltration. The other species is dependent on the first for its water but has, according to the tradeoff, a better resource uptake strategy. The tradeoff leads to oscillatory behavior under the right conditions. This oscillatory behavior can be interpreted as cyclic succession, the initial step of the “Biodiversity Cycling Hypothesis” (BCH) (Shachak et al. 2009). According to this hypothesis the ecosystem engineer is termed the Landscape Modulator Species (LMS) and the second species the Modulator Dependent Species (MDS). The model outcome is compared to fieldwork for the purpose of a field example and validation. The fieldwork compares the species A. serratuloides and N. mucronata to the LMS and MDS respectively, in accordance to modulation effect and resource uptake ability. The results are used to conclude the effects of cycling on hysteresis. These influences cannot be drawn from the results due to the occurrence of chaotic behavior. The extent of hysteresis is severely dependent on the initial conditions of the simulation.
        URI
        https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/4441
        Collections
        • Theses
        Utrecht university logo