The distinctive patches and bands of vegetation found in drylands may help ecosystems withstand drought, but their relationship with plant evolution is more complicated than expected.
Using a theoretical model, researchers examined how vegetation patterns reorganise as rainfall declines while plants evolve greater drought tolerance. Spatial patterning can reduce evolutionary pressure by maintaining moisture beneath vegetation patches. Conversely, evolution can increase ecosystem resilience by allowing those patterns to adjust more flexibly. The researchers found that this indirect benefit of evolution, through changing spatial organisation, can outweigh the direct advantage of improved drought tolerance.
