An overview of Karoo vegetation modelling Published on the occasion of the Centenary of the ARC-Institute for Soil, Climate and Water

Abstract

Karoo vegetation processes have been modelled in recent years at various scales and levels of complexity for a variety of purposes ranging from regional drought assessment to range management at farm level. Some models aim to simulate veld growth responses to rainfall while others focus on changes in species composition and related aspects of range dynamics. Model time steps vary from days to years and outputs from simple indices to time series of vegetative states, interpretable in terms of concepts such as stability, extinction and invasion. Future research should include experimental drought treatments, autecological studies, research into species interactions and the effects of selective plant species removal, and the development of weather generators for the Karoo.