162220 20251017144627.0 doi 10.1111/gcb.70345 sideral 144819 ART-2025-144819 eng Pichon, Benoît Grazing Modulates the Multiscale Spatial Structure of Dryland Vegetation 2025 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted Plants 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. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/647038/EU/Biological feedbacks and ecosystem resilience under global change: a new perspective on dryland desertification/BIODESERT This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No H2020 647038-BIODESERT info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by-nc-nd https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Kéfi, Sonia Gounand, Isabelle Gross, Nicolas Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Yoann Guerber, Josquin Eldridge, David Valencia, Enrique Plaza, César Martínez-Valderrama, Jaime Saiz, Hugo Universidad de Zaragoza Ochoa, Victoria Gozalo, Beatriz Guirado, Emilio García-Gómez, Miguel Gaitán, Juan J. Asensio, Sergio Mendoza, Betty Josefina Donnet, Sophie Maestre, Fernando T. 5011 220 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural Área Ecología 31, 7 (2025), e70345 [14 pp.] Glob. chang. biol. Global Change Biology 1354-1013 1639958 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162220/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2880845 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162220/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:162220 articulos driver 2025-10-17-14:24:36 ARTICLE