In this work, we carry out an analytical and numerical investigation of travelling waves representing arced vegetation patterns on sloped terrains. These patterns are reported to appear also in ecosystems which are not water deprived; therefore, we study the hypothesis that their appearance is due to plant–soil negative feedback, namely due to biomass-(auto)toxicity interactions.

To this aim, we introduce a reaction-diffusion-advection model describing the dynamics of vegetation biomass and toxicity which includes the effect of sloped terrains on the spatial distribution of these variables. Our analytical investigation shows the absence of Turing patterns, whereas travelling waves (moving uphill in the slope direction) emerge. Investigating the corresponding dispersion relation, we provide an analytic expression for the asymptotic speed of the wave. Numerical simulations not only just confirm this analytical quantity but also reveal the impact of toxicity on the structure of the emerging travelling pattern.

Our analysis represents a further step in understanding the mechanisms behind relevant plants‘ spatial distributions observed in real life. In particular, since vegetation patterns (both stationary and transient) are known to play a crucial role in determining the underlying ecosystems’ resilience, the framework presented here allows us to better understand the emergence of such structures to a larger variety of ecological scenarios and hence improve the relative strategies to ensure the ecosystems’ resilience.

Artemisia adamsii is a weed with low palatability to livestock and is thus recognized as an indicator of rangeland degradation in Mongolia. We investigated the germination characteristics of this species, phytotoxic suppression of its germination by its own residue, and the applicability of such germination behaviour to the control of this species. We also discussed the ecological consequence of these factors regarding the vegetation dynamics of the Mongolian steppe. Germination of A. adamsii was tested at different light and temperature conditions. Germination was also tested for A. adamsii and four native grassland species in the presence or absence of A. adamsii residue. Germination of A. adamsii was light-demanding and temperature-dependent. Artemisia adamsii residue showed autotoxic but sub-fatal suppression of germination, and the chemicals causing that suppression were shown to be aqueous and volatile. Phytotoxicity of A. adamsii residue on the germination of grassland species was low, except for in Artemisia frigida. The applicability of the observed sub-fatal autotoxicity for controlling this species was likely to be low, but the elucidated germination characteristics could contribute to developing a strategy for controlling this species. The autotoxicity in A. adamsii germination was suggested to have an ecological consequence that mediates species transition from A. adamsii to other species in degraded land occupied by A. adamsii. As low-palatability A. adamsii can act as a nurse plant of palatable species under grazing conditions, the invasion of A. adamsii into disturbed grasslands may facilitate the recovery of such grasslands in terms of improving pasture quality.