Ecosystem carbon storage under different land uses in three semi-arid shrublands and a mesic grassland in South Africa

Mills, Anthony; O’Connor, T.G.; Donaldson, John S.; Fey, M. V.; Skowno, Andrew; Sigwela, Ayanda; Lechmere-Oertel, R.G.; Bösenberg, J. De Wet

doi:10.1080/02571862.2005.10634705

Cited by 41 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In this study, we only sampled below-ground biomass of the non-graminoid plant species. However, grass root biomass, which appeared to be far lower in secondary grassland, also contributes to carbon stocks in natural grasslands [43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforestation or conservation? The attributes of old growth grasslands in South Africa

Zaloumis

Bond

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Deforestation as a result of burning and land conversion in the tropics and subtropics has been widely studied and active restoration of forests has been widely promoted. Besides other benefits, reforestation can sequester carbon thereby reducing CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere. However, before grasslands are targeted for 'reforestation', it is necessary to distinguish whether they are ancient natural grasslands or secondary vegetation colonizing deforested areas. Here we report the results of a study comparing primary grasslands in South Africa with 4-40 year old secondary grasslands recovering from afforestation with Pinus species. Primary grasslands had significantly higher plant species richness overall, especially of forb species. Ground cover of primary grasslands was more evenly distributed among species than secondary grasslands which tended to mono-dominance. Forbs with underground storage organs (USOs) were common in primary grasslands but conspicuously absent in the recovering systems. Comparison of secondary grasslands of different ages (up to 40 years) showed negligible recovery of the original species composition. Three key features distinguish old growth primary from secondary grasslands: total and forb species numbers, evenness of species contributions to cover and the presence of USOs. Old growth grasslands also differed in their fire response, showing significant post-burn resprouting and fire-stimulated flowering in contrast to secondary grasslands. Though similar contrasting attributes of ancient and secondary grasslands have been reported in South America, more studies are needed to explore their generality in other geographical regions.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation'.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforestation or conservation? The attributes of old growth grasslands in South Africa

Zaloumis

Bond

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Kondisi demikian dikarenakan lantai tegakan pada savana cemara yang sering mengalami kebakaran pada musim kemarau, sehingga terjadi pelepasan kembali potensi karbon ke atmosfer. Sebagai pembanding lainnya berdasarkan hasil penelitian Mills et al (2005), yang dilakukan di empat lokasi berbeda pada wilayah semi arid di Afrika Selatan, diketahui total simpanan C adalah 245 t ha-1. Jumlah ini adalah tergolong tinggi apabila dibandingkan dengan hutan yang memiliki kelembaban lebih tinggi dari semi arid.…”

Section: Perbandingan Potensi Karbonunclassified

Carbon Sink Potency in Three Types of Savanna in Nusa Tenggara Timur

Kurniawan¹,

Yuniati²

2015

JPKW

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ABSTRAKProvinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) terkenal keberadaan savananya, dimana 22% dari luas daratannya merupakan savana. Ada 8 (delapan) tipe savana yang didasarkan pada spesies pohon dominan pada savana tersebut. Dalam rangka kepentingan inventarisasi Gas Rumah Kaca (GRK) untuk menyediakan data faktor emisi/serapan GRK maka dilakukan penghitungan potensi simpanan karbon pada areal savana. Pada tulisan ini disampaikan potensi simpanan karbon pada tiga tipe savana yakni savana huek (Eucalyptus alba), savana lontar (Borassus flabellifer) dan savana gewang (Corypha utan). Pendugaan potensi dilakukan pada 4 (empat) pool karbon yakni atas permukaan tanah, bawah permukaan tanah, nekromas berkayu, nekromas tidak berkayu dan tanah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rata-rata potensi simpanan karbon pada savana huek (E. alba) sebesar 537,18 ton/ha, rata-rata potensi simpanan karbon pada savana gewang (C.utan) sebesar 58,21 ton/ha dan rata-rata potensi simpanan karbon pada savana lontar (B. flabellifer) sebesar 52,68 ton/ha. Kata kunci: Simpanan karbon, savana, Eucalyptus alba, Corypha utan, Borassus flabellifer ABSTRACT Province of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) is well known for its savanna existency

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“…Today, T. triandra is central to the ecological dynamics of palaeotropical savannas (Gibbs Russell et al 1991;Jessop, Dashorst, and James 2006;Snyman, Ingram, and Kirkman 2013), where the absence of this particular species has been used as an indicator of reduced ecosystem function and soil quality (Mills et al 2005;du Preez and Snyman 1993). T. triandra is generally abundant where it is found, with both fire and grazing by mammals necessary for its persistence (Snyman, Ingram, and Kirkman 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The recent and rapid spread of Themeda triandra

et al. 2017

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Tropical savannas cover over 20% of land surface. They sustain a high diversity of mammalian herbivores and promote frequent fires, both of which are dependent on the underlying grass composition. These habitats are typically dominated by relatively few taxa, and the evolutionary origins of the dominant grass species are largely unknown. Here, we trace the origins of the genus Themeda, which contains a number of widespread grass species dominating tropical savannas. Complete chloroplast genomes were assembled for seven samples and supplemented with chloroplast and nuclear ITS markers for 71 samples representing 18 of the 27 Themeda species. Phylogenetic analysis supports a South Asian origin for both the genus and the widespread dominant T. triandra. This species emerged ~1.5 Ma from a group that had lived in the savannas of Asia for several million years. It migrated to Australia ~1.3 Ma and to mainland Africa ~0.5 Ma, where it rapidly spread in pre-existing savannas and displaced other species. Themeda quadrivalvis, the second most widespread Themeda species, is nested within T. triandra based on whole chloroplast genomes, and may represent a recent evolution of an annual growth form that is otherwise almost indistinguishable from T. triandra. The recent spread and modernday dominance of T. triandra highlight the dynamism of tropical grassy biomes over millennial time-scales that has not been appreciated, with dramatic shifts in species dominance in recent evolutionary times. The ensuing species replacements likely had profound effects on fire and herbivore regimes across tropical savannas.

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Ecosystem carbon storage under different land uses in three semi-arid shrublands and a mesic grassland in South Africa

Cited by 41 publications

References 41 publications

Reforestation or conservation? The attributes of old growth grasslands in South Africa

Reforestation or conservation? The attributes of old growth grasslands in South Africa

Carbon Sink Potency in Three Types of Savanna in Nusa Tenggara Timur

The recent and rapid spread of Themeda triandra

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