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Savanna vegetation-fire-climate relationships differ among continents
Citation
Lehmann, CER and Anderson, TM and Sankaran, M and Higgins, SI and Archibald, S and Hoffman, WA and Hanan, NP and Williams, RJ and Fensham, RJ and Felfili, J and Hutley, LB and Ratnam, J and San Jose, J and Montes, R and Franklin, D and Russell-Smith, J and Ryan, CM and Durigan, G and Hiernaux, P and Haidar, R and Bowman, DMJS and Bond, WJ, Savanna vegetation-fire-climate relationships differ among continents, Science, 343, (6170) pp. 548-552. ISSN 0036-8075 (2014) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 by the American Associatoin for the Advancemnet of Science
DOI: doi:10.1126/science.1247355
Abstract
Ecologists have long sought to understand the factors controlling the structure of savanna
vegetation. Using data from 2154 sites in savannas across Africa, Australia, and South America,
we found that increasing moisture availability drives increases in fire and tree basal area, whereas
fire reduces tree basal area. However, among continents, the magnitude of these effects varied
substantially, so that a single model cannot adequately represent savanna woody biomass
across these regions. Historical and environmental differences drive the regional variation in
the functional relationships between woody vegetation, fire, and climate. These same differences
will determine the regional responses of vegetation to future climates, with implications for
global carbon stocks.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | savanna vegetation-fire-climate relationships, climate change, ecosytem function, global carbon stocks, savanna, woody biomass |
| Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecological applications |
| Research Field: | Ecosystem function |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Terrestrial biodiversity |
| UTAS Author: | Bowman, DMJS (Professor David Bowman) |
| ID Code: | 98736 |
| Year Published: | 2014 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 292 |
| Deposited By: | Plant Science |
| Deposited On: | 2015-02-27 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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