title: Minimal mechanisms for vegetation patterns in semiarid regions.
abstract: The minimal ecological requirements for the fomation of regular vegetation patterns in semiarid systems have been recently questioned. Against the general belief that a combination of facilitative and competitive interactions is necessary, recent theoretical studies suggest that, under broad conditions, non-local competition among plants alone may induce patterns. In this paper, we review results along this line, presenting a series of models that yield spatial patterns when finite-range competition is the only driving force. A preliminary derivation of this type of model from a more detailed one that considers water-biomass dynamics is also presented.
authors.affiliation: IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martínez-García
authors.affiliation: Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA.
authors.forename: Justin M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.affiliation: IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9568-8287
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hernández-García
authors.affiliation: IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain clopez@ifisc.uib-csic.es.
authors.forename: Cristóbal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López
keywords: competitive interactions; non-local interactions; vegetation patterns