Chapter 1: General introduction Chapter 2: Extending the baseline of tropical dry forest loss in Ghana (1984-2015) reveals drivers of major deforestation inside a protected area Chapter 3: Fixed or Mixed? Variation in tree functional types and vegetation structure in a forest-savanna ecotone in West Africa Chapter 4: Sharp transitions with soft edges? Three years of field observations reveal multiple fire-mediated feedbacks in a forest-savanna ecotone in West Africa Chapter 5: Fall leaves fall! Leaf shedding of tree species in a forest-savanna ecotone in West Africa depends on individual species, tree functional type and stand structure Chapter 6: Variation in vegetation cover and seedling performance of tree species in a forest-savanna-ecotone