In this episode of the Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium we are joined by Holly Hoban (BSc Environmental Science) to discuss her Independent Research Project ‘Spotting Resilience: Measuring the Effect of Vegetation Turing Patterns in Dryland Ecosystems.’

Since the development of aerial photography, striking vegetation patterns such as spots, stripes and labyrinths have been identified and studied in drylands across the globe. They are examples of Turing patterns, self-organised features which emerge due to simple feedback processes. This dissertation project used satellite data to test whether these patterns make ecosystem productivity more stable over time, or more resilient to droughts. Results showed that patterned samples were more resilient than non-patterned samples and suggested that different types of patterns affect resilience differently, with the most efficient structures not always achieving the best outcome. If incorporated into management strategies, vegetation patterns could benefit conservation, restoration, and agriculture in regions threatened by desertification and climate change, as well as having implications for other areas of resilience research. This research relates to SDGs 2, 11, 13 and 15.

Relevant articles for further reading:

Evasion of tipping in complex systems through spatial pattern formation https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj0359

Bridging ecology and physics: Australian fairy circles regenerate following model assumptions on ecohydrological feedbacks https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.13493

The global biogeography and environmental drivers of fairy circles https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2304032120

The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2024 Student Takeover Season where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate Students.

Episode Guest: Holly Hoban
Episode Host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode Editor: Sophie Green

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