A keystone mutualism drives pattern in a power function.
Data that can be described by a power function are ubiquitous in nature. Although there is consensus that such data frequently emerge generally from nonlinear complex systems, a variety of specific mechanisms may be responsible for creating the pattern in particular cases. Here, we report on the distribution of a scale insect (Coccus viridis) that is a common agricultural pest. Its distribution in an organic coffee farm in southern Mexico generally follows a power function, but there are subtle deviations from that function. We offer a biological explanation for both adherence to the power functions and associated deviations, along with supporting evidence.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. jvander@umich.edu
John
J
Vandermeer
Ivette
I
Perfecto
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D040503:Coffea; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000502:physiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D008433:Mathematics; D008800:Mexico; D008954:Models, Biological; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011158:Population Growth; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D013559:Symbiosis; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology