An African Savanna: Synthesis of the Nylsvley Study

by R. J. Scholes , B. H. Walker

• ISBN13: 9780521612104
• ISBN10: 0521612101
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-11-11
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Savannas cover approximately half of the African land surface and one fifth of the land surface of the world. They are one of the most important, but least understood terrestrial ecosystems. They are the basis of the African livestock industry and the wildlife they support is of key importance in bringing in tourists. The Nylsvley area in South Africa is one of the most intensively studied savanna regions in the world and as such it is a key source of data and theory relating to this important tropical biome. The South African Savanna Biome Programme was set up to develop the understanding necessary to predict changes in the ecosystem stability induced by both natural and man-made stresses. This book provides a synthesis of the programme's sixteen years of research at Nylsvley and aims to develop a unified vision of the ecology of the dry savanna.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Nylsvley in an African savanna context	1	(56)
African savannas: an overview	2	(15)
The people of Nylsvley	17	(7)
The climate at Nylsvley	24	(10)
Geology, landform and soils	34	(9)
The Nylsvley biota	43	(14)
The key determinants: water, nutrients, fire and herbivory	57	(86)
Water	58	(23)
Nutrients	81	(30)
Fire	111	(15)
Herbivory	126	(17)
The carbon cycle	143	(46)
Primary production	144	(24)
Decomposition	168	(21)
Community and landscape pattern and change	189	(60)
Rich savanna, poor savanna	190	(18)
Community structure, composition and dynamics	208	(6)
Tree-grass interactions	214	(16)
Plant-herbivore interactions	230	(19)
Lessons from Nylsvley	249	(31)
An overview of savanna ecology	250	(11)
Managing savannas	261	(12)
Reflections on ecosystem studies	273	(7)
Bibliography	280	(21)
Index	301