The environmental consequences of shrub invasion are varied, including changes in ecosystem dynamics, nutrient cycling, soil erosion, and possibly runoff and recharge. From a rangeland perspective, the replacement of grass by shrubs represents a decrease in productivity and has substantial economic consequences. The observed environmental changes accompanying invasion are varied and dramatic.
Observed changes differ from location to location, depending on soils, climate, topography, etc.
This process may inhibit plant growth in the interspaces, enhancing the initial vegetation change. In semiarid regions, soil moisture provides a key link between climate, hydrology, ecology, and biochemical cycles. The soil moisture available for plant use strongly controls seedling establishment, photosynthesis, growth, reproduction, etc. At the same time, plants strongly regulate the distribution of water in the soil. Given this coupling, it is expected that soil moisture-plant interactions play an important role in the invasion of semiarid grasslands by shrubs.