dc.contributor.author |
Buitenwerf, R
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|
dc.contributor.author |
Bond, WJ
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|
dc.contributor.author |
Stevens, N
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dc.contributor.author |
Trollope, WSW
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dc.date.accessioned |
2012-10-03T10:05:04Z |
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dc.date.available |
2012-10-03T10:05:04Z |
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dc.date.issued |
2012-02 |
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dc.identifier.citation |
Buitenwerf, R, Bond, WJ, Stevens, N and Trollope, WSW. 2012. Increased tree densities in South African savannas: >50 years of data suggests CO2 as driver. Global Change Biology, vol. 18(2), pp 675-684 |
en_US |
dc.identifier.issn |
1354-1013 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02561.x/abstract
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|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6127
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dc.description |
Copyright: 2011 Wiley. This is the accepted version of the work. The definitive version is published in Global Change Biology, vol. 18(2), pp 675-684 |
en_US |
dc.description.abstract |
For the past century, woody plants have increased in grasslands and savannas worldwide. Woody encroachment may significantly alter ecosystem functioning including fire regimes, herbivore carrying capacity, biodiversity and carbon storage capacity. Traditionally, increases in woody cover and density have been ascribed to changes in the disturbance regime (fire and herbivores) or rainfall. Increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations may also contribute, by increasing growth rates of trees relative to grasses. This hypothesis is still heavily debated because usually potential CO2 effects are confounded by changes in land use (disturbance regime). Here we analyse changes in woody density in fire experiments at three sites in South African savannas where the disturbance regime (fire and herbivores) was kept constant for 30 and 50 years. If global drivers had significant effects on woody plants, we would expect significant increases in tree densities and biomass over time under the constant disturbance regime. Woody density remained constant in a semiarid savanna but tripled in a mesic savanna between the 1970s and 1990s. At the third site, a semiarid savanna near the southern limits of the biome, tree density doubled from the mid 1990s to 2010. Interpretation of the causes is confounded by population recovery after clearing, but aerial photograph analysis on adjacent non-cleared areas showed an accompanying 48% increase in woody cover. Increased CO2 concentrations are consistent with increased woody density while other global drivers (rainfall) remained constant over the duration of the experiments. The absence of a response in one semiarid savanna could be explained by a smaller carbon sink capacity of the dominant species, which would therefore benefit less from increased CO2. Understanding how savannas and grasslands respond to increased CO2 and identifying the causes of woody encroachment are essential for the successful management of these systems. |
en_US |
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_US |
dc.publisher |
Wiley |
en_US |
dc.relation.ispartofseries |
Workflow;7492 |
|
dc.subject |
Kruger National Park |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Long-term study |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Woody encroachment |
en_US |
dc.subject |
South African Savannas |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Grasslands |
en_US |
dc.subject |
C4 grass fire |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Fires |
en_US |
dc.title |
Increased tree densities in South African savannas: >50 years of data suggests CO2 as driver |
en_US |
dc.type |
Article |
en_US |
dc.identifier.apacitation |
Buitenwerf, R., Bond, W., Stevens, N., & Trollope, W. (2012). Increased tree densities in South African savannas: >50 years of data suggests CO2 as driver. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6127 |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.chicagocitation |
Buitenwerf, R, WJ Bond, N Stevens, and WSW Trollope "Increased tree densities in South African savannas: >50 years of data suggests CO2 as driver." (2012) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6127 |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.vancouvercitation |
Buitenwerf R, Bond W, Stevens N, Trollope W. Increased tree densities in South African savannas: >50 years of data suggests CO2 as driver. 2012; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6127. |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.ris |
TY - Article
AU - Buitenwerf, R
AU - Bond, WJ
AU - Stevens, N
AU - Trollope, WSW
AB - For the past century, woody plants have increased in grasslands and savannas worldwide. Woody encroachment may significantly alter ecosystem functioning including fire regimes, herbivore carrying capacity, biodiversity and carbon storage capacity. Traditionally, increases in woody cover and density have been ascribed to changes in the disturbance regime (fire and herbivores) or rainfall. Increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations may also contribute, by increasing growth rates of trees relative to grasses. This hypothesis is still heavily debated because usually potential CO2 effects are confounded by changes in land use (disturbance regime). Here we analyse changes in woody density in fire experiments at three sites in South African savannas where the disturbance regime (fire and herbivores) was kept constant for 30 and 50 years. If global drivers had significant effects on woody plants, we would expect significant increases in tree densities and biomass over time under the constant disturbance regime. Woody density remained constant in a semiarid savanna but tripled in a mesic savanna between the 1970s and 1990s. At the third site, a semiarid savanna near the southern limits of the biome, tree density doubled from the mid 1990s to 2010. Interpretation of the causes is confounded by population recovery after clearing, but aerial photograph analysis on adjacent non-cleared areas showed an accompanying 48% increase in woody cover. Increased CO2 concentrations are consistent with increased woody density while other global drivers (rainfall) remained constant over the duration of the experiments. The absence of a response in one semiarid savanna could be explained by a smaller carbon sink capacity of the dominant species, which would therefore benefit less from increased CO2. Understanding how savannas and grasslands respond to increased CO2 and identifying the causes of woody encroachment are essential for the successful management of these systems.
DA - 2012-02
DB - ResearchSpace
DP - CSIR
KW - Kruger National Park
KW - Long-term study
KW - Woody encroachment
KW - South African Savannas
KW - Grasslands
KW - C4 grass fire
KW - Fires
LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za
PY - 2012
SM - 1354-1013
T1 - Increased tree densities in South African savannas: >50 years of data suggests CO2 as driver
TI - Increased tree densities in South African savannas: >50 years of data suggests CO2 as driver
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6127
ER -
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en_ZA |