000162220 001__ 162220 000162220 005__ 20251017144627.0 000162220 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1111/gcb.70345 000162220 0248_ $$2sideral$$a144819 000162220 037__ $$aART-2025-144819 000162220 041__ $$aeng 000162220 100__ $$aPichon, Benoît 000162220 245__ $$aGrazing Modulates the Multiscale Spatial Structure of Dryland Vegetation 000162220 260__ $$c2025 000162220 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000162220 5203_ $$aPlants can facilitate their local environment and create a two‐phase spatial structure of vegetation and bare soil in drylands, which largely influences ecosystem functioning. Although an increasing number of studies have examined how global change drivers like aridity influence vegetation spatial structure in drylands (e.g., the patch size distribution), it remains unclear how grazing impacts differ from those of climatic gradients, how these effects vary with herbivore feeding habits, and which plant‐level traits—such as size and life form—mediate these spatial responses. Here, we coupled spatial vegetation pattern analyses of ecosystem images with field data analyses of the size distribution and dominant life forms of plants from 326 plots sampled across 25 countries and six continents to explore the effects of herbivores on the spatial structure of dryland vegetation. The effects of herbivores on vegetation spatial structure were opposite to the effects of aridity. Specifically, vegetation in grazed areas was clustered into larger patches, with fewer small patches, which skewed the patch‐size distribution towards larger patches. These effects differed between browsing and grazing herbivores. Grazing effects were partially explained by the fact that grazing reduced average plant size, increased shrub density, and promoted facilitation among species of contrasting sizes. Similar effects were also confirmed by using model simulations that accounted for positive plant interactions. By linking remotely sensed images, a global field survey, and a mathematical model, our study uncovers the species‐level mechanisms by which herbivores shape ecosystem‐level spatial patterns and provides insights into the consequence of herbivory pressure on the resilience of drylands. 000162220 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/647038/EU/Biological feedbacks and ecosystem resilience under global change: a new perspective on dryland desertification/BIODESERT$$9This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No H2020 647038-BIODESERT 000162220 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby-nc-nd$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es 000162220 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000162220 700__ $$aKéfi, Sonia 000162220 700__ $$aGounand, Isabelle 000162220 700__ $$aGross, Nicolas 000162220 700__ $$aLe Bagousse-Pinguet, Yoann 000162220 700__ $$aGuerber, Josquin 000162220 700__ $$aEldridge, David 000162220 700__ $$aValencia, Enrique 000162220 700__ $$aPlaza, César 000162220 700__ $$aMartínez-Valderrama, Jaime 000162220 700__ $$aSaiz, Hugo$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000162220 700__ $$aOchoa, Victoria 000162220 700__ $$aGozalo, Beatriz 000162220 700__ $$aGuirado, Emilio 000162220 700__ $$aGarcía-Gómez, Miguel 000162220 700__ $$aGaitán, Juan J. 000162220 700__ $$aAsensio, Sergio 000162220 700__ $$aMendoza, Betty Josefina 000162220 700__ $$aDonnet, Sophie 000162220 700__ $$aMaestre, Fernando T. 000162220 7102_ $$15011$$2220$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural$$cÁrea Ecología 000162220 773__ $$g31, 7 (2025), e70345 [14 pp.]$$pGlob. chang. biol.$$tGlobal Change Biology$$x1354-1013 000162220 8564_ $$s1639958$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162220/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000162220 8564_ $$s2880845$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162220/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000162220 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:162220$$particulos$$pdriver 000162220 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:24:36 000162220 980__ $$aARTICLE