Nonparametric inference for Marked point processes to characterize the ecological dynamics of a Laurel forest in the Canary Islands.

I. Fuentes Santos, J. Cubas, J. Rey Medina, J. R. Aboal Viñas, R. M. Crujeiras Casais

The Canary Islands' Laurel forest is a late-Tertiary relict ecosystem with high biodiversity and complex dynamics. This work analyzes a representative plot through a 30-year monitoring period (1993–2023), treating data as multitype marked point patterns accounting for species, height, and DBH of trees. Nonparametric estimators and tests for the intensity and relative risk functions of inhomogeneous point processes allow us to characterize species expansion and mortality over the three decades, Moreover, nonparametric tests for second-order characteristics evaluate inter-specific competition and the spatial interaction between marks. This approach provides a robust framework to understand the forest's ecological dynamics, revealing how the spatial distribution of individuals, their mutual interactions, and the dependence structure of their attributes define its long-term structural evolution.

Keywords: Intensity Laurisilva kernel smoothing K-function

T. Goicoa Mangado, M. Á. Martínez-Beneito, A. Adin Urtasun, L. Ugarte

A. Medialdea Villanueva, J. M. Angulo Ibáñez, J. Mateu Mahiques, C. Comas Rodríguez

A. Martínez Puig, A. Blanch Plana, C. Comas Rodríguez

J. Marcen-Gutierrez, J. Castillo-Mateo, A. E. Gelfand, J. Asín, A. C. Cebrián