Publications des scientifiques de l'IRD

Higgins S.I., Banerjee S., Baudena M., Bowman M.J.S., Conradi T., Couteron Pierre, Kruger L.M., O'Hara R.B., Williamson G.J. (2024). Reassessing the alternative ecosystem states proposition in the African savanna-forest domain. New Phytologist, 243 (5), 1660-1669. ISSN 0028-646X.

Titre du document
Reassessing the alternative ecosystem states proposition in the African savanna-forest domain
Année de publication
2024
Type de document
Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:001268287300001
Auteurs
Higgins S.I., Banerjee S., Baudena M., Bowman M.J.S., Conradi T., Couteron Pierre, Kruger L.M., O'Hara R.B., Williamson G.J.
Source
New Phytologist, 2024, 243 (5), 1660-1669 ISSN 0028-646X
Ecologists are being challenged to predict how ecosystems will respond to climate changes. According to the Multi-Colored World (MCW) hypothesis, climate impacts may not manifest because consumers such as fire and herbivory can override the influence of climate on ecosystem state. One MCW interpretation is that climate determinism fails because alternative ecosystem states (AES) are possible at some locations in climate space. We evaluated theoretical and empirical evidence for the proposition that forest and savanna are AES in Africa. We found that maps which infer where AES zones are located were contradictory. Moreover, data from longitudinal and experimental studies provide inconclusive evidence for AES. That is, although the forest?savanna AES proposition is theoretically sound, the existing evidence is not yet convincing. We conclude by making the case that the AES proposition has such fundamental consequences for designing management actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change in the savanna?forest domain that it needs a more robust evidence base before it is used to prescribe management actions.
Plan de classement
Climatologie [021CLIMAT] ; Ecosystèmes [082ECOSYS]
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010091610]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010091610
Contact