Changes in the relative availability of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can be associated with changes in the species composition of wetland vegetation, but responsible mechanisms are not always clear.
The soil, coupled with the landscape and its vegetation, is responsible for the distribution of all rainwater falling upon it and thus plays a key role with respect to the water cycle and supply as now recognised by hydrologists.
The aims were to detect the changes in vegetation, identify the responsible drivers and determine the type of responses to disturbance.
Despite evidence that non-tree vegetation can be responsible for a substantial proportion of carbon uptake in the first decade after fire, particularly in severely burned forests [11, 14], we did not consider these dynamics as understory vegetation is not well modeled by FVS.
Although shrubs and non-tree vegetation may be responsible for a large proportion of primary productivity in the first decade after wildfire [11, 14], dominance of non-tree life forms combined with the extirpation of nearby seed sources and a changing climate sets up the conditions for a temporary or permanent transition to a non-forest vegetation type [32, 37].
Riparian terrestrial vegetation can be responsible for the largest amount of energy loss in fluvial corridors (Nepf and Vivoni 2000).
Despite evidence that non-tree vegetation can be responsible for a substantial proportion of carbon uptake in the first decade after fire, particularly in severely burned forests [ 11, 14], we did not consider these dynamics as understory vegetation is not well modeled by FVS.
Although shrubs and non-tree vegetation may be responsible for a large proportion of primary productivity in the first decade after wildfire [ 11, 14], dominance of non-tree life forms combined with the extirpation of nearby seed sources and a changing climate sets up the conditions for a temporary or permanent transition to a non-forest vegetation type [ 32, 37].
"That made me wonder if more than one mechanism is responsible for vegetation dynamics in dryland ecosystems, as is often the case in nature," Tarnita said.
Our results suggest that current inundation patterns have reduced the persistence of S. patens, while short-term drought did not appear responsible for vegetation changes or habitat conversion.
