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Tree‐grass coexistence in Savannas: The role of spatial dynamics and climate fluctuations
Author(s) -
RodríguezIturbe Ignacio,
D'Odorico Paolo,
Porporato Amilcare,
Ridolfi Luca
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1998gl900296
Subject(s) - canopy , vegetation (pathology) , environmental science , tree canopy , competition (biology) , ecology , water content , atmospheric sciences , biology , geology , medicine , pathology , geotechnical engineering
The codominance of trees and grasses in savannas is explained as resulting from the minimization of vegetation stress. It is shown that under different climate, soil and vegetation conditions local interactions dictated by the spatial competition for soil moisture lead to an optimal state of minimum global water stress involving a stable coexistence of trees and grasses. The optimal state matches the observed canopy cover and soil moisture characteristics. Moreover, changes in canopy cover in the savanna environments are also suggested to result from climate fluctuations.