Fertility Island Formation and Evolution in Dryland Ecosystems
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4240274 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Luca Ridolfi (0000-0003-2947-8641, Politecnico di Torino), Francesco Laio (0000-0003-3931-1482, Politecnico di Torino), Paolo D''Odorico, Paolo D’odorico (0000-0002-0007-5833, University of Virginia), Paolo D'Odorico |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | art5 |
| Publication date | 2008-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Conservation Ecology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1195-5449 • E-ISSN: 1708-3087 |
| Publisher | Resilience Alliance (PUBLISHER • CA) |
| DOI | 10.5751/es-02302-130105 |
| OpenAlex | W2149435085 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 4 |
Vast dryland regions around the world are affected by the encroachment of woody vegetation, with important environmental and economical implications. Grassland-to-shrubland conversions are often triggered by disturbance of grassland vegetation, and the consequent formation of barren areas prone to erosion-induced nutrient losses. Inhibition of encroachment by erosion-induced depletion of soil nutrients contributes to the emergence of highly heterogeneous landscapes with shrub-dominated fertility islands surrounded by nutrient-poor bare soil. Here, we develop a process-based simplistic model thataccounts for the two competing processes of resource depletion and shrub encroachment by a non-linear diffusion mechanism. The proposed model is able to generate stable vegetation patterns with the same statistical properties as those observed in areas with well-developed fertility islands. We also show how a subsequent disturbance of shrubland vegetation can shift the dynamics toward states with smaller vegetation biomass. The process of land degradation may then occur through a number of irreversible intermediate transitions associated with losses in ecosystem function
Agroforestry · Biology · Ecosystem · Environmental resource management · Fertility · Geography · Population · Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies · Ecosystem dynamics and resilience · Environmental Science · Ecology
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| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,38 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2019 (10) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |