Linking vegetation patterns to environmental gradients and human impacts in a mediterranean-type island ecosystem

In the SAR models topography and substrate type were important controls, together explaining 8-15 % of the total variation in NDVI, but historical grazing and spatial autocorrelation were also key components of the models, together explaining 17-21 % of the variation in NDVI. Optimal spatial autocorrelation distances in the short and medium height vegetation models (600-700 m) were similar to the home range sizes of two crucial seed dispersers on the island -- the island fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) and the island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis)--suggesting that these animals may be important drivers of the island's vegetation patterns.

This study highlights the importance of dynamic processes like dispersal limitation and disturbance history in determining present-day vegetation patterns.