A deterministic model to study the importance of density-dependence for regulation and the outcome of intra-specific competition in populations of sparse plants

The importance of density-dependence is addressed by discussing the results of a simple deterministic model for plant populations. The model takes into account that plants, once germinated, do not move. It is shown that density-dependence can keep sparse populations sparse. Also, it is shown that density-dependence, even if it affects only a minority of the individuals, can determine the outcome of competition. The effect of density-dependence on selection for a specific seed size and generation time are discussed.