Analysis of Catastrophic Shifts between Different Moving Vegetation Patterns
De Gennaro, Stefano
Russo, Lucia
Giannino, Francesco
Maffettone Pier, Luca
Mazzoleni, Stefano
Siettos, Constantinos
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How to Cite

De Gennaro S., Russo L., Giannino F., Maffettone Pier L., Mazzoleni S., Siettos C., 2018, Analysis of Catastrophic Shifts between Different Moving Vegetation Patterns, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 67, 343-348.
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Abstract

There are many ecological evidences that regular vegetation patterns in semi-arid regions may be interpreted has early warning signals of catastrophic transitions to an irreversible homogeneous bare-soil state (desertification). In this framework, the paper analyses the occurrence of catastrophic shifts between different moving vegetation patterns. The study is conducted by numerical simulations of a system of partial differential equation which describes the dynamics of the biomass and water as a reaction-diffusion process. The model also includes the effect of self-toxicity produced by the biomass, which increases the capability of the system to self-organize in the space and time. The analysis reveals the existence of a variety of different periodic patterns moving in the space, like travelling waves and/ or pulse-like backfiring solutions. The precipitation rate is considered as system parameter and its effect on the vegetation patterns evolutions is analysed.
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