Noise-induced phenomena in riparian vegetation dynamics

Abstract

Random forcing due to the river streamflow is a key element in riparian vegetation ecosystems. It influences several aspects of the riparian landscape, the most important being the morphology and water availability. In this letter, we analytically solve a stochastic model to show how hydrological random fluctuations are able to induce both statistically stable states and bimodality in vegetation behavior. These noise-induced results can contribute to explain two well-documented features of several riparian landscapes: the bell-shaped biomass distribution along riparian transects, and spatial vegetation patchiness along a river. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.