Synopses & Reviews
This book develops a unified vision of the ecology of dry savannas, a little studied ecosystem.
Synopsis
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. 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 aim of this book is to integrate the results of sixteen years of research at Nylsvley into a unified vision of the ecology of dry savanna.
Synopsis
Savannas cover half of the African land surface, but are one of the world's least studied ecosystems. This book aims to integrate the findings of sixteen years of research in the Nylsvley region in South Africa, in order to develop a unified vision of the ecology of dry savannas.
Table of Contents
Preface; Part I. Nylsvley: An African Savanna: 1. African savannas; 2. The people of Nylsvley; 3. The climate of Nylsvley; 4. Geology, landform and soils; 5. The Nylsvley biota; Part II. The Key Determinants: Water, Nutrients, Fire, and Herbivory: 6. Water; 7. Nutrients; 8. Fire; 9. Herbivory; Part III. The Carbon Cycle: 10. Primary production; 11. Decomposition; Part IV. Community and Landscape Pattern and Change: 12. Rich savanna, poor savanna; 13. Community structure, composition and dynamics; 14. Tree-grass interactions; 15. Plant-animal interactions; Part V. Lessons From Nylsvley: 16. An overview of savanna ecology; 17. Managing savannas; 18. Reflections on ecosystem studies; References; Index.