Spatial distribution of soil δ13C in the central Brazilian savanna

Neves, Glauber das; Sena-Souza, João Paulo; Santos, Fábio Luís de Souza; Sano, Edson Eyji; Nardoto, Gabriela Bielefeld; Couto, Antônio Felipe

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113758

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…When extended geographically, networks of many carbon isotope samples from soil cores can provide a detailed spatial picture of vegetation dynamics over time (e.g. das Neves et al, 2021; Wright et al, 2021 for Brazilian examples). Aleman et al (2018) provide an integrated example using a range of different data types, in addition to soil carbon isotopes, to model how tree cover has changed (with uncertainty) across Africa.…”

Section: The Vegetation Of Pre‐contact Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Madagascar's grassy biomes are ancient and there is much to learn about their ecology and evolution

Bond

Silander

Ratsirarson

2022

Journal of Biogeography

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For most of the 20th century, the hypothesis was accepted that Madagascar's extensive grass-dominated ecosystems were of anthropogenic origin, carved out of pristine forests after a mere two millennia of human settlement. We tested an alternative hypothesis that these C 4 grassy ecosystems were part of the general Late Miocene expansion of tropical grassy biomes, using diverse data from published sources (Bond et al. 2008). Joseph and Seymour (2021) criticised this paper, which they see as seminal to subsequent studies on the grasslands. Here we respond to their critique of our study. We also briefly note diverse studies since 2008 pointing to the ancient origin of Madagascar's C 4 grasses and the ecosystems they dominate. We conclude with key research needs that will help promote open-minded research on these long neglected grassy biomes. The answers would be of considerable scientific and public interest but may also contribute to enlightened management of forest/grassland mosaics.

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Section: The Vegetation Of Pre‐contact Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Madagascar's grassy biomes are ancient and there is much to learn about their ecology and evolution

Bond

Silander

Ratsirarson

2022

Journal of Biogeography

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“…One evolutionary legacy that a spatio-temporally varying, mosaiced landscape with patches of forest and open grassy ecosystems has fostered is increased genetic diversity across a number of animal species that are primarily forest-dwelling. This follows from the closed-forest/ open-grassy mosaic hypothesis ofYoder et al (2016) and the related Wilme watershed chorological hypothesis(Ganzhorn et al, 2014); see alsoDamasceno et al (2014) for a similar perspective for South America Vences et al (2009). provide a summary perspective on Madagascar as a model system for studying species diversification in a heterogeneous, mosaiced landscapes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…They found the grasslands in this study area had likely replaced forests in many but not all sites. When extended geographically, networks of many carbon isotope samples from soil cores can provide a detailed spatial picture of vegetation dynamics over time (e.g., das Neves et al, 2021; Wright et al, 2021, for Brazilian examples). Aleman et al (2018) provide an integrated example for Africa using a range of different data types, in addition to soil carbon isotopes, to model how tree cover has changed (with uncertainty).…”

Section: Evolutionary History Of the Development And Spread Of Open G...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The grassy ecosystems of Madagascar in context: Ecology, evolution, and conservation

Silander,

Bond,

Ratsirarson

2023

Plants People Planet

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Societal Impact StatementMadagascar is famous for its unique forests and their fauna. Most of the island is covered by flammable grassy ecosystems long considered to be of human origin and threatening the remaining forests. Yet new studies show that many plants and animals of the grassy systems are unique to Madagascar and restricted to these open habitats. Open grassy ecosystems have markedly different management requirements from forests and bring different contributions to society. We argue that the grassy ecosystems can benefit Madagascar if understood and managed wisely using expanded knowledge bases that also include collaboration with locals.SummaryUntil recently, nearly all research and interests in Madagascar focused on forested habitats. To help place Madagascar's grassy ecosystems in context, we provide a summary of the origin, development, and evolution of open tropical, C4 grassy ecosystems elsewhere, especially those from Africa; we summarize similarities and differences with the distribution of C3 and C4 grasses in the Malagasy landscape, their plant traits, and inferences on the evolutionary legacy of grasses. We also discuss the animal communities that use and have coevolved in these grassy systems; to help resolve controversies over the pre‐settlement extent of grassy ecosystems, we suggest a variety of complementary geochemical, palaeobotanical, and molecular genetic tools that have been effectively used elsewhere to untangle forest/grassy ecosystem mosaics and the ecological and evolutionary processes that influence them. Many of these tools can and should be employed in Madagascar to fully understand the spatio‐temporal dynamics of open, grassy, and closed forest systems across the island; as regards conservation, we discuss the ecosystem services provided by grassy systems, which are too often ignored in general, not only as a biome, vis‐à‐vis forests, but also for their global importance as a carbon sink and role they play in water management and providing goods to local villagers. We conclude by outlining the necessary research to better manage open ecosystems across Madagascar without threatening endangered forest ecosystems.

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The spatial variation and drivers of soil δ13C in an alpine-gorge region on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Chen,

Liu

et al. 2024

CATENA

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Spatial distribution of soil δ13C in the central Brazilian savanna

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Madagascar's grassy biomes are ancient and there is much to learn about their ecology and evolution

Madagascar's grassy biomes are ancient and there is much to learn about their ecology and evolution

The grassy ecosystems of Madagascar in context: Ecology, evolution, and conservation

The spatial variation and drivers of soil δ13C in an alpine-gorge region on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

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