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Water-limited vegetated ecosystems driven by stochastic rainfall: feedbacks and bimodality.
Benjamin E Schaffer1, Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe1,2,3,4
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
Proceedings. Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences
|July 7, 2018
Summary
This study reveals how rainfall variability and positive feedback mechanisms create complex, multimodal vegetation biomass distributions in arid ecosystems. These dynamics influence soil moisture and vegetation growth patterns over specific timescales.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Mathematical Biology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Water availability is a key factor controlling vegetation growth in arid and semi-arid regions.
- Rainfall variability directly impacts soil moisture and vegetation biomass when subsurface water is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how positive feedbacks between vegetation growth and water availability create complex biomass distributions.
- To derive analytical results for system dynamics and timescale analysis.
Main Methods:
- Coupled dynamic equations of biomass and water balance were used.
- Analysis of probability distributions of soil moisture and vegetation biomass.
- Derivation of analytical results for system crossing properties.
Main Results:
- Positive feedbacks can lead to bimodal and multimodal vegetation biomass distributions.
- New analytical results quantify the timescales over which feedback effects manifest.
- The study determines the time required for the system to transition between different modes.
Conclusions:
- Rainfall variability and ecological feedbacks significantly shape vegetation biomass patterns in arid environments.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses to environmental changes.
- The derived analytical tools aid in assessing the temporal impact of ecological feedbacks.
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