Vegetation Patterns, Ecosystem Engineers and Species Richness: A Pattern Formation Approach
by
Ehud Meron
Ben Gurion University

Habitat and species richness in water limited systems are affected by the dynamics of a few key species, termed "ecosystem engineers". These species modulate the landscape and redistribute the water resources so as to allow the introduction of other species. A mathematical model is developped for a pair of ecosystem engineers commonly found in drylands: shrubs forming vegetation patterns and cyanobacteria forming soil-crusts. The model is used to highlight conditions that give rise to high habitat richness, and suggests mechanisms for species loss events as a result of environmental changes.

Date received: October 3, 2003