Ecosystem structural changes controlled by altered rainfall climatology in tropical savannas
Zhang, Wenmin (University of Copenhagen. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management)
Brandt, Martin (University of Copenhagen. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Guichard, Françoise (Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques)
Tong, Xiaoye (University of Copenhagen. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management)
Tian, Feng (University of Copenhagen. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management)
Fensholt, Rasmus (University of Copenhagen. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management)

Date:	2019
Abstract:	Tropical savannas comprise mixed woodland grassland ecosystems in which trees and grasses compete for water resources thereby maintaining the spatial structuring of this ecosystem. A global change in rainfall climatology may impact the structure of tropical savanna ecosystems by favouring woody plants, relative to herbaceous vegetation. Here we analysed satellite data and observed a relatively higher increase in woody vegetation (5%) as compared to the increase in annual maximum leaf area index (LAImax, an indicator of the total green vegetation production) (3%) in arid and semi-arid savannas over recent decades. We further observed a declining sensitivity of LAImax to annual rainfall over 56% of the tropical savannas, spatially overlapping with areas of increased woody cover and altered rainfall climatology. This suggests a climate-induced shift in the coexistence of woody and herbaceous vegetation in savanna ecosystems, possibly caused by altered hydrological conditions with significance for land cover and associated biophysical effects such as surface albedo and evapotranspiration.
Grants:	European Commission 610028
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Nature communications, Vol. 10, (February 2019) , art. 671, ISSN 2041-1723

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08602-6
PMID: 30737376

7 p, 1.7 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) > Imbalance-P
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