Just by inspection of Earth’s surface using Google Earth, vegetation patterns of different type can be found in semi-arid climates such as in Mali and Niger. These patterns range from nearly complete veg- etation coverage with small gaps of bare ground, via labyrinth patterns, to islands of vegetation in bare ground, the so-called spot patterns. In this presentation, I will present results on the bifurcation behavior of solutions in a (reaction-diffusion) type model of vegetation pattern formation using precipitation as a control parameter. Focus will be on early warning signals of the transition to desertification.