@article{fdi:010092646,
  title = {{A}ttractor of a neutral individual-based forest model captures spatiotemporal structure characteristics of a mature tropical forest},
  author = {{D}ubois, {M}. {A}. and {A}llen, {M}. {A}. and {C}hanthorn, {W}. and {C}ournac, {L}aurent and {E}mmons, {L}. {H}. and {F}avier, {C}. and {R}i{\'e}ra, {B}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{L}ike other ecosystems, a forest never reaches a static equilibrium (climax), but ends upon a stochastic attractor, as a few dynamical systems approaches have shown. {H}ere, we follow a tropical evergreen {S}outh {A}merican forest in {F}rench {G}uyana, which has not been anthropically perturbed for around 200 years, and then only in minor ways (and there have been no large scale perturbations since around 500 years ago). {T}his study presents both experimental data and a modelling approach. {O}ur data consists of measurements of the leaf area index ({LAI}) at high resolution along thirteen 512 m-long transects in {J}uly of 2000, 2009, and 2018. {F}or each transect we plot the mean {LAI} ( {LAI} ) against its standard deviation (sigma {LAI}). {W}e find that each transect follows a trajectory in ( sigma {LAI} , {LAI})-space which is confined to an oval-shaped domain. {A} strong change is observed between 2000 and 2009, with lower {LAI} and higher sigma {LAI}, on average, hinting at temporal environmental degradation. {H}owever, the average values over all transects in 2018 show a quasi-return to the 2000 values. {T}his is explained by a rainfall deficit in 2009, but does not exclude the possibility of a systematic drift in the future. {I}n the modelling part, we improved upon the very simple cellular automata type model used in previous work by incorporating a more realistic description of tree life and death, and it successfully reproduces the dynamic behaviour of the real forest. {T}he fact that such a simple model gives a very good description of the forest behaviour is strong evidence for the efficacy of a dynamical systems approach to the understanding of real forest ecosystem dynamics.},
  keywords = {{D}ynamical system ; {F}orest dynamics ; {S}tochastic attractor ; {L}eaf-area index ; {T}ropical ecosystem ; {GUYANE} {FRANCAISE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}cological {M}odelling},
  volume = {501},
  numero = {},
  pages = {111009 [9 p.]},
  ISSN = {0304-3800},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.111009},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010092646},
}