A study of drivers and dynamics of forest-savanna boundaries in West Africa

Abstract

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

Soil carbon, nutrient, and vegetation dynamics of an old Anogeissus grove in Mole National Park, Ghana

“…The lack of forest species in the larger size classes or in the recruitment layer suggests that there is no development towards dry tropical forest after 40 years (Cuni‐Sanchez et al., 2016). This is in line with the observations that these groves still experience regular burning due to a grass and herb layer in the understory (Ametsitsi, 2021) which limits the recruitment of forest species (Issifu, 2020).…”

“…Therefore, the change in size distribution indicating a trend toward self‐thinning may reflect the lack of stem harvesting of this abandoned grove, since the site became part of the protected area. This suggests that over time, the grove may develop toward a more natural vegetation dominated by fewer large Anogeissus specimens such as found for example in Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Ghana, in places abandoned for 150 years (Ametsitsi, 2021).…”

“…This suggests that over time, the grove may develop toward a more natural vegetation dominated by fewer large Anogeissus specimens such as found for example in Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Ghana, in places abandoned for 150 years (Ametsitsi, 2021).…”