Nature and Dynamics of Forest-Savanna Boundaries

Nature and Dynamics of Forest-Savanna Boundaries PDF

Author: P. Furley

Publisher: Springer

Published: 1992-12-31

Total Pages: 648

ISBN-13:

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Boundaries and processes; Forest-savanna boundaries: general considerations; Ecological processes at the forest-savanna boundary; Physical environment at the Boundary; Mapping forest and savannas in sub-Saharan Africa from advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) imagery; Influence of physical factors on the nature and dynamics of forest-savanna boundaries; Dynamics of the forest-savanna boundary in the Rio Branco-Rupunini region of northern Amazonia. Edaphic changes at the forest-savanna boundary with particular reference to the neotropics; Soil and litter nutrient losses in forest clearings close to a forest-savanna boundary on Maraca Island, Roraima, Brazil; Soil conditions and soil biology in different habitats across a forest-savanna boundary on Maraca Island, Roraima, Brazil; Observations on soils, foliar nutrient concentrations and floristic composition of cerrado sensu stricto and cerradao communities in central Brazil; Soil formation and nutrient dynamics at the woodland-savanna boundary in East Africa; Environmental change and vegetation; Landscape dynamics and surface deposits arising from late quaternary fluctuations in the forest-savanna boundary; The development of rainforest-savanna boundaries in tropical Australia; Ultraviolet V-B insolation and the altitudinal forest limit; How old are South Africa's grasslands? Vegetation structure and dynamics at the boundary; The phytogeography of savanna species of neotropical Chrysobalanaceae; The nature and the dynamics of the forest-savanna boundary in south-western Nigeria; Effects of trees on understorey vegetation and soils at forest-savanna boundaries in East Africa; The forest-savanna boundary on Maraca Island, Roraima, Brazil: an investigation of two contrasting transects; Floristic composition, phytosociology and comparison of cerrado and gallery forests at Fazenda Agua Limpa, Federal District, Brazil; Transitions between cerrado and forest vegetation in Brazil; Observations on the differentiation of woodland and wet savanna habitats in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil; The Chaco-Pantanal transition in southern Mato Grosso, Brazil; Animals at the forest-savanna boundary; Soil fauna at the forest-savanna boundary: role of the termite mounds in nutrient cycling; The chemical ecology of forest and savanna termites; The forest-savanna boundary and habitat selection by Brazilian social wasps; The importance of forest edges in the ecology of open country cerrado birds; The role of mammals in neotropical forest-savanna boundaries; Modelling of the Boundary; Modelling energy flows and surface temperatures over forest and savanna; Modelling the location of woody-grassland boundaries; A conceptual model relating environmental factors and vegetation formations in the lowlands of tropical South America.

Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests

Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests PDF

Author: R. Toby Pennington

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2006-05-25

Total Pages: 509

ISBN-13: 1420004492

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More often than not, when people think of a neotropical forest, what comes to mind is a rain forest, rather than a dry forest. Just as typically, when they imagine a savanna, they visualize the African plains, rather than those dry woodlands and grasslands found in the Neotropics. These same preconceptions can be found among scientists, as these ne

Misreading the African Landscape

Misreading the African Landscape PDF

Author: James Fairhead

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1996-10-17

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9780521564991

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An intriguing 1996 study showing how Africans enrich their land, while scientists believe they damage it.

A Savanna Habitat

A Savanna Habitat PDF

Author: Bobbie Kalman

Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 9780778729525

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The grasslands of Africa are home to some of the most interesting plants and animals. This book features animals that graze on the grasses, how they hunt, as well as how animals find food, water, and shelter on the savanna.

Only in Africa

Only in Africa PDF

Author: Norman Owen-Smith

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-10-07

Total Pages: 379

ISBN-13: 1108832598

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Demonstrates how Africa's physical features, savannas and abundant grazers enabled frugivorous apes to become savanna-living hunters.

Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores

Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores PDF

Author: Peter Frank Scogings

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-09-30

Total Pages: 794

ISBN-13: 1119081106

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Insights on current research and recent developments in understanding global savanna systems Increasingly recognized as synonymous with tropical grassy biomes, savannas are found in tropical and sub-tropical climates as well as warm, temperate regions of North America. Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores examines the interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals in global savannas—focusing primarily on the C4 grassy ecosystems with woody components that constitute the majority of global savannas—and discusses contemporary savanna management models and applications. This much-needed addition to current research examines topics including the varying behavior of browsing mammals, the response to browsing by woody species, and the factors that inhibit forage intake. Contributions from an international team of active researchers and experts compare and contrast different savanna ecosystems, offering a global perspective on savanna functioning, the roles of soil and climate in resource availability and organism interaction, and the possible impacts of climate change across global savannas. Fills a gap in literature on savanna management issues, including biodiversity conservation and animal production Applies concepts developed in other biomes to future savanna research Complements contemporary books on savanna or large herbivore ecology Focuses on the woody component of savanna ecosystems and large herbivore interactions in savannas Compares tree-mammal systems of savannas and other eco-systems of temperate and boreal regions Provides numerous case studies of plant-mammal interactions from various savanna ecosystems Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores is a valuable addition to those in fields such as ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, natural resource management, and environmental science.

Savannas: A Very Short Introduction

Savannas: A Very Short Introduction PDF

Author: Peter A. Furley

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-06-16

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 0191026751

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Savannas form one of the largest and most important of the world's ecological zones. Covering one fifth of the Earth's land surface, they are home to some of the world's most iconic animals and form an extremely important global resource for plants and wildlife. However, increasing recognition of their land potential means that they are extremely vulnerable to accelerating pressures on usable land. This Very Short Introduction considers savannas as landscapes. Discussing their origin, topography, and global distribution, Peter A. Furley explores the dynamic nature of savannas and illustrates how they have shaped human evolution and movements. He goes on to discuss the unrelenting pressures that confront conservation and management and considers the future for savannas. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Ecotones Between Forest and Grassland

Ecotones Between Forest and Grassland PDF

Author: Randall W. Myster

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-07-10

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 1461437970

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Ecotones are dynamic over-lapping boundary areas where major terrestrial biomes meet. As past studies have shown, and as the chapters in this book will illustrate, their structure, size, and scope have changed considerably over the millennia, expanding and shrinking as climate and/or other driving conditions, also changed. Today, however, many of them are changing at a rate not seen for a long time, perhaps largely due to climate change and other human-induced factors. Indeed ecotones are more sensitive to climate change than the biomes on either side, and thus may serve as critical early indicators of future climate change. As ecotones change, they also redefine the limits of the biomes on either side by altering their distributions of species because, in addition to their own endemic species, any ecotone will also have species from both adjoining biomes. Consequently, they may also be places of high levels of species interaction, serving as active evolutionary laboratories, which generate new species that then migrate back into adjacent biomes. Ecotones Between Forest and Grassland explores how these ecotones have changed in the past, how they are changing today, and how they are likely to change in the future. The book includes chapters from around the world with a special focus on South American and Neotropical ecotones.

Open Ecosystems

Open Ecosystems PDF

Author: William J. Bond

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 0198812450

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Explores the geography, ecology, and antiquity of 'open ecosystems' which include grasslands, savannas, and shrublands.

Ecological Effects of Fire in South African Ecosystems

Ecological Effects of Fire in South African Ecosystems PDF

Author: P. de V. Booysen

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 3642698050

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This is a stimulating tale of the interplay of observation, experimentation, working hypotheses, tentative conclusions, niggling and weightier doubts and great aspirations, on the part of some score of students, on varied ecological and other aspects of the regime and role of fire in relevant biomes and ecosystem- mainly in South Africa - and on other pertinent features of fire ecology. The impressive contents is a tribute to conveners and authors alike. One can expect a profound range and depth ofinvestigation and interpretation, a closeknit fabric of knowledge, delicately interwoven with wisdom, an exposition and quintessence of information. Admipable is the collective vision responsible for selecting appropriate topics: the wide sweeps of the brush picturing the nature of the biomes; ably describing the fire regimes - whether in grassland, savanna, fynbos or forest; skillfully defining the effects of such regimes - according to ecosystem - upon aerial and edaphic factors of the habitat, upon constituent biota, individually, specifically and as a biotic community; elucidating the basic implications in the structure and dynamics of the plant aspect of that community ... and unravelling to some degree the tangled knot of the conservation and dissipation of moisture and nutrients. Moreover, gratitude is owed for efforts exerted to understand the interplay of fire and faunal behaviour and dynamics as well as composition, together with the principle of adaptive responses of organisms of diverse kinds.