The earlier generation of studies analysed aggregate data, such as weekly sales and prices in a region, not demand from individual consumers or even driving patterns.

前一代研究分析的是总体数据，例如一个地区每周的销售额和价格，而不是单个消费者的需求，甚至是驾驶模式。

To test if these ecological processes were driving patterns, scientists sampled from different areas of fairy circles— the center of rings, on the rings, and the bare, outer edge.

为了测试这些生态过程是否是驱动模式，科学家们从仙女圈的不同区域——环的中心、环上和裸露的外缘——进行了采样。