Climatic legacies drive spatial aggregation of plants in drylands

Climatic legacies drive spatial aggregation of plants in drylands | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 September 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Climatic legacies drive spatial aggregation of plants in drylands Authors : Benoît Pichon 0009-0007-6206-5482 [email protected] , Sonia Kefi 0000-0002-9678-7770 , Isabelle Gounand 0000-0002-0675-3973 , and Sophie Donnet 0000-0003-4370-7316 Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175767709.98799277/v1 Published Global Change Biology Version of record Peer review timeline 207 views 192 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract In drylands, vegetation is spatially aggregated in so called patches, separated by bare soil areas. So far, research on vegetation spatial patterns mainly focused on the effect of current climates and herbivory pressure. Yet, past climates and human activities might leave traces (called legacies) that affect present-day spatial vegetation patterns. Here, we joined two datasets on plant spatial patterns and information about past climates during the mid-Holocene and the last glacial maximum to investigate the effects of past and current climates on plant spatial patterns. We show that past climates have effects of similar magnitude as current climate, with an important and stronger imprint on the spatial aggregation of vegetation in drylands. Furthermore, we show that such climate legacies on plant spatial patterns might be explained by their effect on soil functioning and composition. This study paves the way for assessing legacies from human activities and past climate on ecosystems. Supplementary Material File (ms_climate_legacy_spatial_structure_main.pdf) Download 835.50 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 September 2025 Peer review timeline Published Global Change Biology Version of Record 14 May 2026 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords drylands facilitation legacies past climates soil functioning spatial patterns Authors Affiliations Benoît Pichon 0009-0007-6206-5482 [email protected] Institut des sciences de l'évolution de Montpellier View all articles by this author Sonia Kefi 0000-0002-9678-7770 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique View all articles by this author Isabelle Gounand 0000-0002-0675-3973 CNRS View all articles by this author Sophie Donnet 0000-0003-4370-7316 Universit´ e Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR MIA Paris-Saclay, 91120, Palaiseau, France View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 207 views 192 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Benoît Pichon, Sonia Kefi, Isabelle Gounand, et al. Climatic legacies drive spatial aggregation of plants in drylands. Authorea . 12 September 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175767709.98799277/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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