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Ecology: Signals of impending change

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 1, Article number: 0047 (2017) Cite this article

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An analysis of arid lands around the world shows how patterns in vegetation may serve as harbingers of things to come.

Society has an increasing awareness that there are finite limits to what we can expect the planet to absorb and still provide goods and services at current rates1. Both historical reconstructions and contemporary events continue to remind us that ecological regime changes are often abrupt rather than gradual. This reality motivates researchers who seek to discover leading indicators for impending ecosystem change. Berdugo et al.2 report an important advance in our ability to anticipate the conversion of arid lands from self-organized, self-maintaining and productive ecosystems, to a state characterized by disorganization and low functionality. Such conversions have important implications for our understanding of ‘desertification’ — which is a shift from arid to desert-like conditions.

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Figure 1

© S. KÉFI

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  1. James B. Grace is at the US Geological Survey, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506, USA.,

    James B. Grace

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  1. James B. Grace
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Correspondence to James B. Grace.

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Grace, J. Ecology: Signals of impending change. Nat Ecol Evol 1, 0047 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0047

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0047

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