Mosaic-pattern vegetation formation and dynamics driven by the water-wind crisscross erosion

- Spatial heterogeneity of microtopography and soil properties of patch were studied.
- Hydrological and aeolian processes affect soil moisture distributions.
- Soil moisture lead to patch migrated to downslope rather than upslope.
- Hydrological facilitation drive mosaic-pattern patch formation and succession.

SummaryTheoretical explanations for vegetation pattern dynamic emphasized on banded pattern-forming systems on the dynamics of the spot pattern. In this context, we explore the patch pattern forming and development in the desertification land. We hypothesized that spatial heterogeneity of microtopography and soil properties with different patch sizes would determine vegetation pattern dynamics theory. The spatial heterogeneity of microtopography and soil properties with different patch sizes were studied. Differences between the inside and outside of the canopy of soil carbon content and soil total nitrogen content were significantly increasing with patches sizes. Sampling location across vegetation patch was the main factor controlling soil properties. Soil nutrient content and saturated hydraulic conductivity were the largest, while bulk density and the coarse sand content were the lowest at the sampling location of half-way between taproot and downslope edge of the canopy. The height of the mound relative to the adjacent soil interspace between shrubs increased as patches diameter increased at the upslope of the taproot. Hydrological and aeolian processes resulted in spatial distributions of soil moisture, nutrition properties, which lead to patch migrated to downslope rather than upslope. A conceptual model was integrated hydrological and nutrient facilitation and competition effects among the plant-soil in mosaic-pattern patch formation and succession process.