Historic changes in the fire-rainfall relationship at a woodland-savanna transition zone in southern Africa

IF 1.4 4区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ECOLOGY

African Journal of Range & Forage Science Pub Date : 2022-01-02 DOI:10.2989/10220119.2022.2030408

T. Hamilton, S. Archibald, S. Woodborne

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

Southern Africa is dominated by fire-prone arid and semi-arid landscapes that are expected to experience increased maximum temperatures, rainfall variation and frequency of extreme rainfall events in the future. These conditions will affect fire and vegetation dynamics, but feedback and interactions among fire, rainfall and woody cover limit our ability to predict future ecosystem changes. Moreover, human activities can also drive changes in these components and their interactions. There are few long-term datasets available to monitor these changes over ecologically relevant time-scales. Here the combined analysis of a rainfall proxy, developed from a baobab tree core (Adansonia digitata) and fire proxy, from a sediment core, in the savanna-woodland transition zone in South Central Africa elucidates the history of two major drivers of savanna structure for the past 600 years. They show a system that oscillates between wooded and grassy vegetation states over time, as well as a change in the spatial scale of fires, which could be linked to human activities and recent fire management legislation.

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非洲南部林地-稀树草原过渡地带火-雨关系的历史变化

南部非洲主要是易发生火灾的干旱和半干旱地区，预计未来最高气温、降雨量变化和极端降雨事件的频率将会增加。这些条件将影响火灾和植被动态，但火灾、降雨和树木覆盖之间的反馈和相互作用限制了我们预测未来生态系统变化的能力。此外，人类活动也可以驱动这些组件及其相互作用的变化。在与生态相关的时间尺度上监测这些变化的长期数据集很少。在这里，对南非中部稀树草原-林地过渡带的猴面包树核心(Adansonia digitata)的降雨代用物和沉积物核心的火灾代用物进行了综合分析，阐明了过去600年来稀树草原结构的两个主要驱动因素的历史。它们显示了一个随时间在树木和草地植被状态之间摇摆的系统，以及火灾空间规模的变化，这可能与人类活动和最近的火灾管理立法有关。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

African Journal of Range & Forage Science ECOLOGY-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

CiteScore

4.00

自引率

14.30%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The African Journal of Range & Forage Science is the leading rangeland and pastoral journal in Africa. The Journal is dedicated to publishing quality original material that advances rangeland ecology and pasture management. The journal aims to publish research of international importance from any region, but as an African journal, we are particularly interested in research from Africa and relevant to the continent. The Journal promotes both science and its application and authors are encouraged to explicitly identify the practical implications of their work. Peer-reviewed research papers and research notes deal primarily with all aspects of rangeland and pasture ecology and management, including the ecophysiology and biogeochemistry of rangelands and pastures, terrestrial plant–herbivore interactions (both domestic and wild), rangeland assessment and monitoring, effects of climate change on rangelands, rangeland and pasture management, rangeland rehabilitation, ecosystem services in support of production, conservation and biodiversity goals, and the identification and development of intensive and semi-intensive pasture and forage resources to meet livestock production needs. Articles highlighting transdisciplinary linkages among biophysical and social sciences that support management, policy and societal values are particularly encouraged. The Journal includes relevant book reviews and invited perspectives that contribute to the development of range and forage science. Letters to the editor that debate issues raised in the Journal are acceptable. The African Journal of Range & Forage Science is the official journal of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa.