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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314217
Title: Legacy effects in linked ecological-soil-geomorphic systems of drylands

Author
item MONGER, H. CURTIS - New Mexico State University
item SALA, OSVALDO - Arizona State University
item DUNIWAY, MICHAEL - Us Geological Survey (USGS)
item GOLDFUS, HAIM - Ben Gurion University Of Negev
item MEIR, ISAAC - Ben Gurion University Of Negev
item POCH, ROSA - Universitat De Lleida
item THROOP, HEATHER - New Mexico State University
item VIVONI, ENRIQUE - Arizona State University

Submitted to: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2014
Publication Date: 2/2/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/60363
Citation: Monger, H., Sala, O., Duniway, M.C., Goldfus, H., Meir, I.A., Poch, R.M., Throop, H., Vivoni, E.R. 2015. Legacy effects in linked ecological-soil-geomorphic systems of drylands. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 13:13-19.

Interpretive Summary: A legacy effect refers to the impact that previous conditions have on current processes or properties. Ecological legacies in drylands result from feedbacks among biotic, soil, and geomorphic processes that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Legacy effects depend on (1) the magnitude of the original phenomena, (2) the time since the occurrence of the phenomena, and (3) the sensitivity of the ecological-soil-geomorphic system to change. Here we present a conceptual framework for legacy effects at short-term (days to months), medium-term (years to decades), and long-term (centuries to millennia) timescales, which reveals the ubiquity of such effects in drylands across research disciplines.

Technical Abstract: A legacy effect refers to the impact that previous conditions have on current processes or properties. Ecological legacies in drylands result from feedbacks among biotic, soil, and geomorphic processes that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Legacy effects depend on (1) the magnitude of the original phenomena, (2) the time since the occurrence of the phenomena, and (3) the sensitivity of the ecological-soil-geomorphic system to change. Here we present a conceptual framework for legacy effects at short-term (days to months), medium-term (years to decades), and long-term (centuries to millennia) timescales, which reveals the ubiquity of such effects in drylands across research disciplines