Strong interaction between plants induces circular barren patches: Fairy circles

C. Fernandez-Oto; M. Tlidi; D. Escaff; M. G. Clerc

doi:10.1098/rsta.2014.0009

Strong interaction between plants induces circular barren patches: Fairy circles

C. Fernandez-Oto, M. Tlidi, D. Escaff, M. G. Clerc

Grupo de Sistemas Complejos de Ingeniería

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

Fairy circles consist of isolated or randomly distributed circular areas devoid of any vegetation. They are observed in vast territories in southern Angola, Namibia and South Africa. We report on the formation of fairy circles, and we interpret them as localized structures with a varying plateau size as a function of the aridity. Their stabilization mechanism is attributed to a combined influence of the bistability between the bare state and the uniformly vegetation state, and Lorentzian-like nonlocal coupling that models the competition between plants. We show how a circular shape is formed, and how the aridity level influences the size of fairy circles. Finally, we show that the proposed mechanism is model-independent.

Original language	American English
Journal	Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Volume	372
Issue number	2027
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0009
State	Published - 28 Oct 2014

Keywords

Fairy circles
Localized structures
Population dynamics

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abstract = "Fairy circles consist of isolated or randomly distributed circular areas devoid of any vegetation. They are observed in vast territories in southern Angola, Namibia and South Africa. We report on the formation of fairy circles, and we interpret them as localized structures with a varying plateau size as a function of the aridity. Their stabilization mechanism is attributed to a combined influence of the bistability between the bare state and the uniformly vegetation state, and Lorentzian-like nonlocal coupling that models the competition between plants. We show how a circular shape is formed, and how the aridity level influences the size of fairy circles. Finally, we show that the proposed mechanism is model-independent.",

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AU - Tlidi, M.

AU - Escaff, D.

AU - Clerc, M. G.

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