Localized structures in dryland vegetation: Forms and functions

Ehud Meron; Hezi Yizhaq; Erez Gilad

doi:10.1063/1.2767246

Localized structures in dryland vegetation: Forms and functions

Ehud Meron, Hezi Yizhaq, Erez Gilad

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

90 Scopus citations

Abstract

Vegetation patches in drylands are localized structures of biomass and water. We study these structures using a mathematical modeling approach that captures biomass-water feedbacks. Biomass-water structures are found to differ in their spatial forms and ecological functions, depending on species type, soil conditions, precipitation range, and other environmental factors. Asymptotic spot structures can destabilize to form ring structures, expanding in the radial direction, or crescent structures, migrating uphill. Stable spot structures can differ in their soil-water distributions, forming water-enriched patches or water-deprived patches. The various biomass-water structures are expected to function differently in the context of a plant community, forming landscapes of varying species diversity.

Original language	English
Article number	037109
Journal	Chaos
Volume	17
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2767246
State	Published - 1 Jan 2007

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Mathematical Physics
General Physics and Astronomy
Applied Mathematics

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10.1063/1.2767246

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title = "Localized structures in dryland vegetation: Forms and functions",

abstract = "Vegetation patches in drylands are localized structures of biomass and water. We study these structures using a mathematical modeling approach that captures biomass-water feedbacks. Biomass-water structures are found to differ in their spatial forms and ecological functions, depending on species type, soil conditions, precipitation range, and other environmental factors. Asymptotic spot structures can destabilize to form ring structures, expanding in the radial direction, or crescent structures, migrating uphill. Stable spot structures can differ in their soil-water distributions, forming water-enriched patches or water-deprived patches. The various biomass-water structures are expected to function differently in the context of a plant community, forming landscapes of varying species diversity.",

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Localized structures in dryland vegetation: Forms and functions

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