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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
The significance of vegetation patchiness for ecosystem function and stability has been recognized long ago. However, the view of vegetation patchiness as a dynamic entity that self-organizes in response to environmental changes and disturbances is pretty recent. Understanding the spatial patterns vegetation can form and the nature of transitions between different patterns has become particularly significant in a time of global climate change. In this talk I will describe the variety of possible vegetation patterns along environmental gradients, as predicted by spatially explicit mathematical models, and the degree to which they conform to available field observations. I will further discuss how can we use this understanding to identify warning signals for impending degradation processes such as desertification.
Host: Aric Hagberg, T-5, hagberg@lanl.gov