Forecasting semi-arid biome shifts in the Anthropocene.

Shrub encroachment, forest decline and wildfires have caused large-scale changes in semi-arid vegetation over the past 50 years. Climate is a primary determinant of plant growth in semi-arid ecosystems, yet it remains difficult to forecast large-scale vegetation shifts (i.e.

Correction: Understanding climate change from a global analysis of city analogues.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Understanding climate change from a global analysis of city analogues.

Combating climate change requires unified action across all sectors of society. However, this collective action is precluded by the 'consensus gap' between scientific knowledge and public opinion. Here, we test the extent to which the iconic cities around the world are likely to shift in response to climate change.

Inferring critical thresholds of ecosystem transitions from spatial data.

Ecosystems can undergo abrupt transitions between alternative stable states when the driver crosses a critical threshold. Dynamical systems theory shows that when ecosystems approach the point of loss of stability associated with these transitions, they take a long time to recover from perturbations, a phenomenon known as critical slowing down. This generic feature of dynamical systems can offer early warning signals of abrupt transitions.