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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
Determinants of woody cover in African savannas
Nature, Volume 438, No. 7069, Year 2005
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Description
Savannas are globally important ecosystems of great significance to human economies. In these biomes, which are characterized by the co-dominance of trees and grasses, woody cover is a chief determinant of ecosystem properties 1-3. The availability of resources (water, nutrients) and disturbance regimes (fire, herbivory) are thought to be important in regulating woody cover1,2,4,5, but perceptions differ on which of these are the primary drivers of savanna structure. Here we show, using data from 854 sites across Africa, that maximum woody cover in savannas receiving a mean annual precipitation (MAP) of less than ∼650 mm is constrained by, and increases linearly with, MAP. These arid and semi-arid savannas may be considered 'stable' systems in which water constrains woody cover and permits grasses to coexist, while fire, herbivory and soil properties interact to reduce woody cover below the MAP-controlled upper bound. Above a MAP of ∼650 mm, savannas are 'unstable' systems in which MAP is sufficient for woody canopy closure, and disturbances (fire, herbivory) are required for the coexistence of trees and grass. These results provide insights into the nature of African savannas and suggest that future changes in precipitation 6 may considerably affect their distribution and dynamics. © 2005 Nature Publishing Group.
Authors & Co-Authors
Sankaran, Mahesh
Unknown Affiliation
Hanan, Niall P.
Unknown Affiliation
Scholes, Robert J.
Unknown Affiliation
Ratnam, Jayashree
Unknown Affiliation
Augustine, D. J.
Unknown Affiliation
Cade, Brian S.
Unknown Affiliation
Gignoux, Jacques
Unknown Affiliation
Higgins, Steven Ian
Unknown Affiliation
Le Roux, X.
Unknown Affiliation
Ludwig, Fulco
Unknown Affiliation
Ardö, Jonas
Unknown Affiliation
Banyikwa, F. F.
Unknown Affiliation
Bronn, Andries
Unknown Affiliation
Bucini, Gabriela
Unknown Affiliation
Caylor, Kelly Krispin
Unknown Affiliation
Coughenour, M. B.
Unknown Affiliation
Diouf, Alioune
Unknown Affiliation
Ekaya, Wellington N.
Unknown Affiliation
Feral, C. J.W.
Unknown Affiliation
February, Edmund Carl
Unknown Affiliation
Frost, Peter G.H.
Unknown Affiliation
Hiernaux, Pierre
Unknown Affiliation
Hrabar, Halszka
Unknown Affiliation
Metzger, Kristine L.
Unknown Affiliation
Prins, Herbert H. T.
Unknown Affiliation
Ringrose, Susan M.
Unknown Affiliation
Sea, William
Unknown Affiliation
Tews, Jörg
Unknown Affiliation
Worden, Jeffrey S.
Unknown Affiliation
Zambatis, Nick
Unknown Affiliation
Statistics
Citations: 1,794
Authors: 30
Affiliations: 25
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1038/nature04070
ISSN:
00280836
e-ISSN:
14764687
Research Areas
Environmental