Self-organization as a mechanism of resilience in dryland ecosystems

Kéfi, Sonia; Génin, Alexandre; Garcia-Mayor, Angeles; Guirado, Emilio; Cabral, Juliano S.; Berdugo, Miguel; Guerber, Josquin; Solé Vicente, Ricard, 1962-; Maestre, Fernando T.

Self-organization as a mechanism of resilience in dryland ecosystems

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dc.contributor.author Kéfi, Sonia
dc.contributor.author Génin, Alexandre
dc.contributor.author Garcia-Mayor, Angeles
dc.contributor.author Guirado, Emilio
dc.contributor.author Cabral, Juliano S.
dc.contributor.author Berdugo, Miguel
dc.contributor.author Guerber, Josquin
dc.contributor.author Solé Vicente, Ricard, 1962-
dc.contributor.author Maestre, Fernando T.
dc.date.accessioned 2025-04-07T06:15:33Z
dc.date.available 2025-04-07T06:15:33Z
dc.date.issued 2024
dc.description.abstract Self-organized spatial patterns are a common feature of complex systems, ranging from microbial communities to mussel beds and drylands. While the theoretical implications of these patterns for ecosystem-level processes, such as functioning and resilience, have been extensively studied, empirical evidence remains scarce. To address this gap, we analyzed global drylands along an aridity gradient using remote sensing, field data, and modeling. We found that the spatial structure of the vegetation strengthens as aridity increases, which is associated with the maintenance of a high level of soil multifunctionality, even as aridity levels rise up to a certain threshold. The combination of these results with those of two individual-based models indicate that self-organized vegetation patterns not only form in response to stressful environmental conditions but also provide drylands with the ability to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining their functioning, an adaptive capacity which is lost in degraded ecosystems. Self-organization thereby plays a vital role in enhancing the resilience of drylands. Overall, our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between spatial vegetation patterns and dryland resilience. They also represent a significant step forward in the development of indicators for ecosystem resilience, which are critical tools for managing and preserving these valuable ecosystems in a warmer and more arid world.
dc.description.sponsorship S.K. was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. This research was supported by the European Research Council [ERC Grant Agreements 242658 (BIOCOM) and 647038 (BIODESERT)] and Generalitat Valenciana (CIDEGENT/2018/041). F.T.M. acknowledges the support from the University of Alicante (UADIF22-74 and VIGROB22-350) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020-116578RB-I00). A.G. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 896159. M.B. acknowledges the funding from Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (#RYC2021-031797-I). E.G. acknowledges the support by the Generalitat Valenciana and European Social Fund grant APOSTD/2021/188.
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.identifier.citation Kéfi S, Génin A, Garcia-Mayor A, Guirado E, Cabral JS, Berdugo M, et al. Self-organization as a mechanism of resilience in dryland ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Feb 6;121(6):e2305153121. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305153121
dc.identifier.doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2305153121
dc.identifier.issn 0027-8424
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10230/70098
dc.language.iso eng
dc.publisher National Academy of Sciences
dc.relation.ispartof Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Feb 6;121(6):e2305153121
dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/242658
dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/647038
dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/2PE/PID2020-116578RB-I00
dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/896159
dc.rights.accessRights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.uri http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subject.keyword Desertification
dc.subject.keyword Drylands
dc.subject.keyword Self-organization
dc.subject.keyword Spatial patterns
dc.title Self-organization as a mechanism of resilience in dryland ecosystems
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.version info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

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