Ecosystem structural changes controlled by altered rainfall climatology in tropical savannas

Wenmin Zhang (), Martin Brandt, Josep Penuelas, Françoise Guichard, Xiaoye Tong, Feng Tian and Rasmus Fensholt
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Wenmin Zhang: University of Copenhagen
Martin Brandt: University of Copenhagen
Josep Penuelas: CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra
Françoise Guichard: Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM), UMR CNRS 3589 and Météo-France
Xiaoye Tong: University of Copenhagen
Feng Tian: University of Copenhagen
Rasmus Fensholt: University of Copenhagen

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08602-6

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