IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v438y2005i7069d10.1038_nature04070.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determinants of woody cover in African savannas

Author

Listed:
  • Mahesh Sankaran

    (Colorado State University)

  • Niall P. Hanan

    (Colorado State University)

  • Robert J. Scholes

    (CSIR)

  • Jayashree Ratnam

    (Colorado State University)

  • David J. Augustine

    (Commanche National Grassland)

  • Brian S. Cade

    (Fort Collins Science Center)

  • Jacques Gignoux

    (UMR 7625 CNRS, Université de Paris 6 ENS)

  • Steven I. Higgins

    (Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig Halle, Sekt Okosyst Anal)

  • Xavier Le Roux

    (Université Lyon 1 USC INRA 1193, Bâtiment G. Mendel)

  • Fulco Ludwig

    (CSIRO Plant Industry)

  • Jonas Ardo

    (Lund University)

  • Feetham Banyikwa

    (University of Dar es Salaam)

  • Andries Bronn

    (Port Elizabeth Technikon)

  • Gabriela Bucini

    (Colorado State University)

  • Kelly K. Caylor

    (Princeton University
    Princeton University)

  • Michael B. Coughenour

    (Colorado State University)

  • Alioune Diouf

    (Centre de Suivi Ecologique)

  • Wellington Ekaya

    (University of Nairobi)

  • Christie J. Feral

    (University of Virginia)

  • Edmund C. February

    (University of Cape Town, University Private Bag)

  • Peter G. H. Frost

    (University of Zimbabwe)

  • Pierre Hiernaux

    (CESBIO)

  • Halszka Hrabar

    (University of Pretoria)

  • Kristine L. Metzger

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Herbert H. T. Prins

    (Wageningen University)

  • Susan Ringrose

    (University of Botswana)

  • William Sea

    (Colorado State University)

  • Jörg Tews

    (University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry & Biology, Plant Ecology & Nature Conservation
    Biology, Plant Ecology & Nature Conservation)

  • Jeff Worden

    (Colorado State University)

  • Nick Zambatis

    (Kruger National Park)

Abstract

Savannas on the verge Ecologists have long debated mechanisms by which trees and grasses are able to coexist in savanna ecosystems. Based on data from 854 sites in Africa, Sankaran et al. identify a distinction between savannas receiving less that 650 mm of rainfall annually and those receiving more. Below the 650-mm mark, water is the critical determinant of woody community structure. These savannas are stable, and here disturbances (such as fire and herbivory) and soil properties will modify woody cover, but are not necessary for tree and grass to coexist. Above 650 mm, disturbances are essential for the maintenance of a savanna.

Suggested Citation

  • Mahesh Sankaran & Niall P. Hanan & Robert J. Scholes & Jayashree Ratnam & David J. Augustine & Brian S. Cade & Jacques Gignoux & Steven I. Higgins & Xavier Le Roux & Fulco Ludwig & Jonas Ardo & Feetha, 2005. "Determinants of woody cover in African savannas," Nature, Nature, vol. 438(7069), pages 846-849, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:438:y:2005:i:7069:d:10.1038_nature04070
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04070
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature04070
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/nature04070?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Epstein, Graham & Vogt, Jessica & Cox, Michael & Shimek, Luke, 2014. "Confronting problems of method in the study of sustainability," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 42-50.
    2. Loudermilk, E.L. & Cropper, W.P. & Mitchell, R.J. & Lee, H., 2011. "Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) and hardwood dynamics in a fire-maintained ecosystem: A simulation approach," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(15), pages 2733-2750.
    3. Guo, Tong & Weise, Hanna & Fiedler, Sebastian & Lohmann, Dirk & Tietjen, Britta, 2018. "The role of landscape heterogeneity in regulating plant functional diversity under different precipitation and grazing regimes in semi-arid savannas," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 379(C), pages 1-9.
    4. Cecilia Parracciani & Robert Buitenwerf & Jens-Christian Svenning, 2023. "Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation in Kenya: Future Projections and Implications for Protected Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-20, November.
    5. Tchuinté Tamen, A. & Dumont, Y. & Tewa, J.J. & Bowong, S. & Couteron, P., 2017. "A minimalistic model of tree–grass interactions using impulsive differential equations and non-linear feedback functions of grass biomass onto fire-induced tree mortality," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 265-297.
    6. Blanco, Carolina Casagrande & Scheiter, Simon & Sosinski, Enio & Fidelis, Alessandra & Anand, Madhur & Pillar, Valério D., 2014. "Feedbacks between vegetation and disturbance processes promote long-term persistence of forest–grassland mosaics in south Brazil," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 291(C), pages 224-232.
    7. Klaus Kellner & Jaco Fouché & David Tongway & Ricart Boneschans & Helga van Coller & Nanette van Staden, 2022. "Landscape Function Analysis: Responses to Bush Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Savanna in the Molopo Region, South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-24, July.
    8. Accatino, Francesco & De Michele, Carlo, 2013. "Humid savanna–forest dynamics: A matrix model with vegetation–fire interactions and seasonality," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 265(C), pages 170-179.
    9. Guo, Tong & Lohmann, Dirk & Ratzmann, Gregor & Tietjen, Britta, 2016. "Response of semi-arid savanna vegetation composition towards grazing along a precipitation gradient—The effect of including plant heterogeneity into an ecohydrological savanna model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 325(C), pages 47-56.
    10. Larissa Robinov & Chris Hopkinson & Mark C. Vanderwel, 2021. "Topographic Variation in Forest Expansion Processes across a Mosaic Landscape in Western Canada," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    11. Meyer, Katrin M. & Wiegand, Kerstin & Ward, David & Moustakas, Aristides, 2007. "SATCHMO: A spatial simulation model of growth, competition, and mortality in cycling savanna patches," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 209(2), pages 377-391.
    12. Pachzelt, Adrian & Rammig, Anja & Higgins, Steven & Hickler, Thomas, 2013. "Coupling a physiological grazer population model with a generalized model for vegetation dynamics," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 263(C), pages 92-102.
    13. Kenneth R. Young, 2023. "Reflections on the Dynamics of Savanna Landscapes," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-12, September.
    14. Synodinos, Alexis D. & Tietjen, Britta & Jeltsch, Florian, 2015. "Facilitation in drylands: Modeling a neglected driver of savanna dynamics," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 304(C), pages 11-21.
    15. Djeumen, I.V. Yatat & Dumont, Y. & Doizy, A. & Couteron, P., 2021. "A minimalistic model of vegetation physiognomies in the savanna biome," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 440(C).
    16. Akpoué, Kouadio Jean-Philippe & Barot, Sébastien & Raynaud, Xavier & Gignoux, Jacques, 2021. "Modeling the biomass allocation of tree resprout in a fire-prone savanna," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 448(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:438:y:2005:i:7069:d:10.1038_nature04070. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.