Article:

Lischke, H., Loeffler, T.J. & Fischlin, A., 1998.  Aggregation of 
        individual trees and patches in forest succession models - Capturing 
        variability with height structured random dispersions.  
        Theoretical Population Biology, 54(3): 213-226.
	doi: 10.1006/tpbi.1998.1378

Abstract:

Individual based, stochastic forest patch models have the potential to realistically describe forest dynamics. However, they are mathematically intransparent and need long computing times. We simplified such a forest patch model by aggregating the individual trees on many patches to height-structured tree populations with theoretical random dispersions over the whole simulated forest area. The resulting distribution-based model produced results similar to those of the patch model under a wide range of conditions. We concluded that the height- structured tree dispersion is an adequate population descriptor to capture the stochastic variability in a forest and that the new approach is generally applicable to any patch model. The simplified model required only 4.1% of the computing time needed by the patch model. Hence, this new model type is well-suited for applications where a large number of dynamic forest simulations is required.

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