Contributions of the eco-hydrological models incorporating feedbacks to the knowledge of arid and semi-arid ecosystems functioning

Abstract

Water redistribution is a fundamental mechanism driving the functioning and dynamics of arid and semi-arid ecosystems. There, a positive feedback exists between vegetation biomass and soil water availability for plants, and it is often responsible of a regular spatial pattern development. The consequences of such spatial patterns in plant and water occurrence have been extensively studied in the field of eco-hydrology, both experimentally and theoretically. Here, we review the main contributions of the ecohydrological models incorporating feedbacks to the knowledge of arid and semi-arid ecosystems functioning, as well as the future research needs and directions in this research field.

Keywords

• retroalimentacion positiva, patron espacial, ecohidrologia, modelizacion ecologica, vegetacion, zonas aridas y semi-aridas,