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Here, intact forests are dominated by a tree family, the Dipterocarpaceae, which along with many other tree families, fruits in large inter-annual episodes known as masting events.

The effects of a phenomenon called tree masting on ecosystems and food webs can be better understood thanks to new theoretical models validated by real world observations.

Some species of trees go through a process called masting, involving periodical cycles of synchronized mass production of fruits and seeds, followed by much lower production in the next year or over several subsequent years.

Researchers at Hokkaido University have developed new computer-based models of masting that, amongst other uses, could help predict the effects of climate change on woodland and forests.

The effects of masting are not included in most commonly used dynamic vegetation models, a weakness that stimulated Tomomichi Kato, of Hokkaido University's Research Faculty of Agriculture, and Lea Végh, of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, to address this gap.