PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 14: Forest Ecology.
Wednesday, August 6 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Structure and function in African Savannas: a continental scale analysis of patterns.
Hanan, Niall1, Sankaran, Mahesh1, 1 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
ABSTRACT- Many explanations for the persistence of tree-grass mixtures in savannas have been advanced thus far. In general these concentrate on equilibrium mechanisms, where niche separation and competition for water lead to coexistence, or non-equilibrium mechanisms, where coexistence is promoted by disturbances related to rainfall patterns, fire, herbivory, or other forms of spatial and temporal variability. All of these explanations and processes may be active to different degrees in the diverse savannas of the World where rainfall, fire frequency, herbivory and human management vary, and a comprehensive conceptual or numerical model that explains both coexistence and the relative productivity and cover of the tree and grass components is yet to emerge. The savannas of East, West-Central and Southern Africa share many characteristics with each other and with other savanna regions of the world, but are also distinct in their combinations of soil, climate, herbivory and resulting savanna dynamics. Here we report on analysis of data from a large number of savanna research sites in Africa, investigate the range of structural states that are realized within the potential multi-dimensional environmental space, explore patterns in savanna characteristics that emerge from complex interactions and feedbacks between interacting components, and discuss the underlying processes that contribute to these patterns.
Key words: Africa, savanna