Grass and tree cover responses to intra-seasonal rainfall variability vary along a rainfall gradient in African tropical grassy biomes
| Autor: | D'Onofrio, D., Sweeney, Luke, von Hardenberg, Jost, Baudena, M., Spatial Ecology and Global Change, Environmental Sciences |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Spatial Ecology and Global Change, Environmental Sciences |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Rain Ecosystem ecology Biome lcsh:Medicine Climate change Poaceae Article Trees 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Tropical climate savana medicine Ecosystem Macroecology lcsh:Science Africa South of the Sahara Tropical Climate Multidisciplinary tropical grassy biomes lcsh:R fires Tropics 15. Life on land Seasonality Tropical ecology medicine.disease 030104 developmental biology Biogeography 13. Climate action Linear Models Environmental science lcsh:Q Seasons Physical geography Hydrology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | Scientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2019) Scientific Reports Scientific Reports, 9. NLM (Medline) Scientific reports (Nature Publishing Group) 9 (2019). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-38933-9 info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:D'Onofrio, Donatella; Sweeney, Luke; von Hardenberg, Jost; Baudena, Mara/titolo:Grass and tree cover responses to intra-seasonal rainfall variability vary along a rainfall gradient in African tropical grassy biomes/doi:10.1038%2Fs41598-019-38933-9/rivista:Scientific reports (Nature Publishing Group)/anno:2019/pagina_da:/pagina_a:/intervallo_pagine:/volume:9 |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-019-38933-9 |
| Popis: | Although it is well known that mean annual rainfall (MAR) and rainfall seasonality have a key role in influencing the distribution of tree and grass cover in African tropical grassy biomes (TGBs), the impact of intra-seasonal rainfall variability on these distributions is less agreed upon. Since the prevalent mechanisms determining biome occurrence and distribution change with MAR, this research investigates the role of intra-seasonal rainfall variability for three different MAR ranges, assessing satellite data on grass and tree cover, rainfall and fire intervals at a sub-continental scale in sub-Saharan Africa. For MAR below 630 mm y−1, rainfall frequency had a positive relationship with grass cover; this relationship however became mostly negative at intermediate MAR (630–1200 mm y−1), where tree cover correspondingly mostly increased with rainfall frequency. In humid TGBs, tree cover decreased with rainfall intensity. Overall, intra-seasonal rainfall variability plays a role in determining vegetation cover, especially in mesic TGBs, where the relative dominance of trees and grasses has previously been largely unexplained. Importantly, the direction of the effect of intra-seasonal variability changes with MAR. Given the predicted increases in rainfall intensity in Africa as a consequence of climate change, the effects on TGBs are thus likely to vary depending on the MAR levels. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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