Nonlinear biofluvial responses to vegetation change in a semiarid environment

The contraction of grasslands has been associated with elevated rates of erosion that have altered the morphology of the surface, lowering slopes between shrubs, and increasing the amplitude of the microtopography. Overall, the viability of the exposed soils for recolonization by grasses has been reduced, reinforcing the system of shrubland invasion and lending support to the use of state-and-transition models to describe ecologic responses to change within this environment. Combined, these results indicate that biophysical interactions in semiarid environments, such as the Jornada del Muerto Basin, are extremely complex and highlight the need for integrative investigations in these regions.