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