CO<sub>2</sub>‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree

Ripley, Brad S.; Raubenheimer, Sarah L.; Perumal, Lavinia; Anderson, Maurice J.; Mostert, Emma; Kgope, Barney; Midgley, Guy F.; Simpson, Kimberley J.

doi:10.1111/1365-2435.14215

Cited by 3 publications

References 74 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Understanding woody plant encroachment: a plant functional trait approach

Jonge

Olff

Mayemba

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The increase in the density of woody plants threatens the integrity of grassy ecosystems. It remains unclear if such encroachment can be explained mostly by direct effects of soil conditions and hydrology on woody plant growth or by indirect effects on fire regime and herbivory imposing tree recruitment limitation. Here, we investigate whether woody plant functional traits provide a mechanistic understanding of the complex relationships between these direct and indirect effects. We first assess the role of rainfall, soil fertility, texture, and geomorphology to explain variation in woody plant encroachment following anthropogenically-induced fire suppression across the Serengeti ecosystem. Second, we explore trait-environment relationships and how these mediate vegetation response to fire suppression. We find that woody plant encroachment is strongest in areas with high soil fertility, high rainfall, intermediate catenae positions, and fine soil textures. These conditions promote woody plant communities associated with small stature, small seed sizes, and high recruit densities (linked to a recruitment-stature trade-off). The positioning of species along this recruitment-stature axis was found to be the most important predictor of recruitment limitation. Areas that support such plant communities - e.g. mid-catena position - were most sensitive to woody plant encroachment. These findings demonstrate the importance of trait-environment relationships in predicting the impact of human alterations on local vegetation change. Understanding how environmental factors directly (resources) and indirectly (legacy effects and plant traits) determine woody plant encroachment supports the development of process-based ecosystem structure and function models.

show abstract

Understanding woody plant encroachment: a plant functional trait approach

Jonge

Olff

Mayemba

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

CO₂‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

How forests survive alongside flammable open ecosystems: conservation implications for Africa

Cardoso¹,

Beckett²,

Bond³

2023

Front. Conserv. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mosaics of closed, fire-sensitive forests and open flammable ecosystems are common across Africa and other parts of the world. The open ecosystems have long been interpreted as products of deforestation, but diverse lines of evidence point to their origins millions of years before humans. There is widespread concern over the survival of fire-sensitive forest in a flammable matrix, leading to diverse measures, including fire suppression, to protect forests. But if both systems are ancient, how did fire-sensitive forests survive the regular fires in the flammable open ecosystems? Here we discuss recent research on this topic, with a focus on Africa, including the stability of these mosaics through time and the factors accounting for this. These include local topography, variation in grass flammability, the presence of fire-tolerant forest margin tree species, and fauna that create firebreaks along the forest edge. We go on to discuss the conditions under which mosaics are less stable, for example during extreme fires, and consider the uncertain future of mosaicked landscapes under climate change. Finally, we suggest a set of guidelines for consideration by conservation managers concerned about fire damage to forest patches.

show abstract

CO₂‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 3 publications

References 74 publications

Understanding woody plant encroachment: a plant functional trait approach

Understanding woody plant encroachment: a plant functional trait approach

CO₂‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree

How forests survive alongside flammable open ecosystems: conservation implications for Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

CO2‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 3 publications

References 74 publications

Understanding woody plant encroachment: a plant functional trait approach

Understanding woody plant encroachment: a plant functional trait approach

CO2‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree

How forests survive alongside flammable open ecosystems: conservation implications for Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

CO₂‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree

CO₂‐fertilisation enhances resilience to browsing in the recruitment phase of an encroaching savanna tree