Droughts and the ecological future of tropical savanna vegetation

To what extent is drought-induced tree mortality a natural phenomenon?

(2019) Roderick J. Fensham et al.   GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

Response of net primary productivity to precipitation exclusion in a savanna ecosystem

(2018) Yanqiang Jin et al.   FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Not only trees: Grasses determine African tropical biome distributions via water limitation and fire

(2018) Donatella D'Onofrio et al.   GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

Tree cover shows strong sensitivity to precipitation variability across the global tropics

(2018) Xiangtao Xu et al.   GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

Grass competition overwhelms effects of herbivores and precipitation on early tree establishment in Serengeti

(2018) Thomas A. Morrison et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

The roots of the drought: Hydrology and water uptake strategies mediate forest-wide demographic response to precipitation

(2018) Rutuja Chitra-Tarak et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Tall Amazonian forests are less sensitive to precipitation variability

(2018) Francesco Giardina et al.   Nature Geoscience

Human impacts in African savannas are mediated by plant functional traits

(2018) Colin P. Osborne et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Research frontiers for improving our understanding of drought-induced tree and forest mortality

(2018) Henrik Hartmann et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Effects of extreme changes in precipitation on the physiology of C4 grasses

(2018) Elise W. Connor et al.   OECOLOGIA

Triggers of tree mortality under drought

(2018) Brendan Choat et al.   NATURE

Hydraulic diversity of forests regulates ecosystem resilience during drought

(2018) William R. L. Anderegg et al.   NATURE

Global climate change will increase the abundance of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing trees in much of North America

(2017) Wenying Liao et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

A synthesis of tree functional traits related to drought-induced mortality in forests across climatic zones

(2017) Michael J. O'Brien et al.   JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY

Global patterns of drought recovery

(2017) Christopher R. Schwalm et al.   NATURE

Sensitivity of grassland productivity to aridity controlled by stomatal and xylem regulation

(2017) A. G. Konings et al.   Nature Geoscience

Prediction and scale in savanna ecosystems

(2017) A. Carla Staver   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Soils and fire jointly determine vegetation structure in an African savanna

(2017) A. Carla Staver et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Hydrologic regulation of plant rooting depth

(2017) Ying Fan et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The consequences of replacing wildlife with livestock in Africa

(2017) Gareth P. Hempson et al.   Scientific Reports

The biodiversity cost of carbon sequestration in tropical savanna

(2017) Rodolfo C. R. Abreu et al.   Science Advances

A multi-species synthesis of physiological mechanisms in drought-induced tree mortality

(2017) Henry D. Adams et al.   Nature Ecology & Evolution

Moment of truth for the Cerrado hotspot

(2017) Bernardo B. N. Strassburg et al.   Nature Ecology & Evolution

Aridity, not fire, favors nitrogen-fixing plants across tropical savanna and forest biomes

(2016) Adam F. A. Pellegrini et al.   ECOLOGY

Long-term climate and competition explain forest mortality patterns under extreme drought

(2016) Derek J. N. Young et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Global variations in ecosystem-scale isohydricity

(2016) Alexandra G. Konings et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Extreme prescribed fire during drought reduces survival and density of woody resprouters

(2016) Dirac Twidwell et al.   JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY

Savannahs of Asia: antiquity, biogeography, and an uncertain future

(2016) Jayashree Ratnam et al.   PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The underestimated biodiversity of tropical grassy biomes

(2016) Brett P. Murphy et al.   PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Meta-analysis reveals that hydraulic traits explain cross-species patterns of drought-induced tree mortality across the globe

(2016) William R. L. Anderegg et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The correlations and sequence of plant stomatal, hydraulic, and wilting responses to drought

(2016) Megan K. Bartlett et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Persistence of a Severe Drought Increases Desertification but not Woody Dieback in Semiarid Savanna

(2016) Carissa L. Wonkka et al.   Rangeland Ecology & Management

Ancient grasslands at risk

(2016) W. J. Bond   SCIENCE

Where Tree Planting and Forest Expansion are Bad for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

(2015) Joseph W. Veldman et al.   BIOSCIENCE

Toward an old-growth concept for grasslands, savannas, and woodlands

(2015) Joseph W Veldman et al.   FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Challenging the maximum rooting depth paradigm in grasslands and savannas

(2015) Jesse B. Nippert et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Dominant tree species are at risk from exaggerated drought under climate change

(2015) Roderick J. Fensham et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Biodiversity increases the resistance of ecosystem productivity to climate extremes

(2015) Forest Isbell et al.   NATURE

Tree mortality predicted from drought-induced vascular damage

(2015) William R. L. Anderegg et al.   Nature Geoscience

Coordination of physiological traits involved in drought-induced mortality of woody plants

(2015) Maurizio Mencuccini et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Bud protection: a key trait for species sorting in a forest-savanna mosaic

(2015) Tristan Charles-Dominique et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Towards understanding resprouting at the global scale

(2015) Juli G. Pausas et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

A continent-wide assessment of the form and intensity of large mammal herbivory in Africa

(2015) G. P. Hempson et al.   SCIENCE

Future of African terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems under anthropogenic climate change

(2015) Guy F. Midgley et al.   Nature Climate Change

Resistance and resilience of a grassland ecosystem to climate extremes

(2014) David L. Hoover et al.   ECOLOGY

Interactive effects of grazing, drought, and fire on grassland plant communities in North America and South Africa

(2014) Sally E. Koerner et al.   ECOLOGY

Quantifying drylands' drought resistance and recovery: the importance of drought intensity, dominant life history and grazing regime

(2014) Jan C. Ruppert et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Is there a ‘browse trap’? Dynamics of herbivore impacts on trees and grasses in an African savanna

(2014) Ann Carla Staver et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Transitions from grassland to savanna under drought through passive facilitation by grasses

(2014) Víctor Resco de Dios et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Drought and resprouting plants

(2014) Melanie J. B. Zeppel et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Evolutionary ecology of resprouting and seeding in fire-prone ecosystems

(2014) Juli G. Pausas et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Competitive interactions between established grasses and woody plant seedlings under elevated CO2 levels are mediated by soil water availability

(2014) A. Manea et al.   OECOLOGIA

Savanna Vegetation-Fire-Climate Relationships Differ Among Continents

(2014) C. E. R. Lehmann et al.   SCIENCE

Tropical grassy biomes: misunderstood, neglected, and under threat

(2014) Catherine L. Parr et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

Exposure of trees to drought-induced die-off is defined by a common climatic threshold across different vegetation types

(2014) Patrick J. Mitchell et al.   Ecology and Evolution

Drought-induced woody plant mortality in an encroached semi-arid savanna depends on topoedaphic factors and land management

(2013) Dirac Twidwell et al.   APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE

Influence of competition and rainfall manipulation on the growth responses of savanna trees and grasses

(2013) Edmund C. February et al.   ECOLOGY

Native ungulates of diverse body sizes collectively regulate long-term woody plant demography and structure of a semi-arid savanna

(2013) Mahesh Sankaran et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Drought enhances symbiotic dinitrogen fixation and competitive ability of a temperate forest tree

(2013) Nina Wurzburger et al.   OECOLOGIA

Global warming and changes in drought

(2013) Kevin E. Trenberth et al.   Nature Climate Change

Dryness is accelerating degradation of vulnerable shrublands in semiarid Mediterranean environments

(2012) S. M. Vicente-Serrano et al.   ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS

Caught in a fire trap: Recurring fire creates stable size equilibria in woody resprouters

(2012) John M. Grady et al.   ECOLOGY

Evidence for Adaptation to Fire Regimes in the Tropical Savannas of the Brazilian Cerrado

(2012) Marcelo F. Simon et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES

Global convergence in the vulnerability of forests to drought

(2012) Brendan Choat et al.   NATURE

Walter’s two-layer hypothesis revisited: back to the roots!

(2012) David Ward et al.   OECOLOGIA

Unexpected patterns of sensitivity to drought in three semi-arid grasslands

(2012) Karie Cherwin et al.   OECOLOGIA

The influence of fire on phylogenetic and functional structure of woody savannas: Moving from species to individuals

(2012) Marcus V. Cianciaruso et al.   PERSPECTIVES IN PLANT ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS

Carbon dioxide and the uneasy interactions of trees and savannah grasses

(2012) W. J. Bond et al.   PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Legacies of precipitation fluctuations on primary production: theory and data synthesis

(2012) O. E. Sala et al.   PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Response of vegetation to drought time-scales across global land biomes

(2012) S. M. Vicente-Serrano et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Linking definitions, mechanisms, and modeling of drought-induced tree death

(2012) William R.L. Anderegg et al.   TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE

Global diversity of drought tolerance and grassland climate-change resilience

(2012) Joseph M. Craine et al.   Nature Climate Change

Increasing drought under global warming in observations and models

(2012) Aiguo Dai   Nature Climate Change

Hydraulic failure and tree dieback are associated with high wood density in a temperate forest under extreme drought

(2011) WILLIAM A. HOFFMANN et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Extreme climatic events and vegetation: the role of stabilizing processes

(2011) Francisco Lloret et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

When is a ‘forest’ a savanna, and why does it matter?

(2011) Jayashree Ratnam et al.   GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

An ecological perspective on extreme climatic events: a synthetic definition and framework to guide future research

(2011) Melinda D. Smith   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Defining the limit to resistance in a drought-tolerant grassland: long-term severe drought significantly reduces the dominant species and increases ruderals

(2011) Sarah E. Evans et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Deciphering the distribution of the savanna biome

(2011) Caroline E. R. Lehmann et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Mechanistic causes of tree drought mortality: recent results, unresolved questions and future research needs

(2011) Melanie J. B. Zeppel et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Stability of above-ground and below-ground processes to extreme drought in model grassland ecosystems: Interactions with plant species diversity and soil nitrogen availability

(2011) Juliette M.G. Bloor et al.   PERSPECTIVES IN PLANT ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS

Climatological determinants of woody cover in Africa

(2011) S. P. Good et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The interdependence of mechanisms underlying climate-driven vegetation mortality

(2011) Nate G. McDowell et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

Response of native ungulates to drought in semi-arid Kenyan rangeland

(2010) David J. Augustine   AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Differences in drought sensitivities and photosynthetic limitations between co-occurring C3 and C4 (NADP-ME) Panicoid grasses

(2010) Brad Ripley et al.   ANNALS OF BOTANY

Beyond the forest edge: Ecology, diversity and conservation of the grassy biomes

(2010) William J. Bond et al.   BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION

Effect of precipitation variability on net primary production and soil respiration in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland

(2010) MICHELL L. THOMEY et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Neighbourhood effects influence drought-induced mortality of savanna trees in Australia

(2010) John M. Dwyer et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests

(2010) Oliver L. Phillips et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Minimum hydraulic safety leads to maximum water-use efficiency in a forage grass

(2010) MEISHA-MARIKA HOLLOWAY-PHILLIPS et al.   PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT

Ecological differentiation in xylem cavitation resistance is associated with stem and leaf structural traits

(2010) LARS MARKESTEIJN et al.   PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT

Drought limitation of photosynthesis differs between C3 and C4 grass species in a comparative experiment

(2010) S. H. TAYLOR et al.   PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT

Defoliation depletes the carbohydrate reserves of resprouting Acacia saplings in an African savanna

(2010) Alexander E. N. Schutz et al.   PLANT ECOLOGY

The Origins of C4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science

(2010) E. J. Edwards et al.   SCIENCE

Grasses of different C4 subtypes reveal leaf traits related to drought tolerance in their natural habitats: Changes in structure, water potential, and amino acid content

(2009) A. E. Carmo-Silva et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY

Browsing and fire interact to suppress tree density in an African savanna

(2009) A. Carla Staver et al.   ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

Grass competition suppresses savanna tree growth across multiple demographic stages

(2009) Corinna Riginos   ECOLOGY

A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests

(2009) Craig D. Allen et al.   FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

What limits fire? An examination of drivers of burnt area in Southern Africa

(2009) SALLY ARCHIBALD et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Contrasting physiological responsiveness of establishing trees and a C4 grass to rainfall events, intensified summer drought, and warming in oak savanna

(2009) ASTRID VOLDER et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Contingent productivity responses to more extreme rainfall regimes across a grassland biome

(2009) JANA L. HEISLER-WHITE et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Woody plant population dynamics in response to climate changes from 1984 to 2006 in Sahel (Gourma, Mali)

(2009) Pierre Hiernaux et al.   JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY

Size-dependent mortality in a Neotropical savanna tree: the role of height-related adjustments in hydraulic architecture and carbon allocation

(2009) YONG-JIANG ZHANG et al.   PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT

Rainfall extremes explain interannual shifts in timing and synchrony of calving in topi and warthog

(2009) Joseph O. Ogutu et al.   POPULATION ECOLOGY

Drought Sensitivity of the Amazon Rainforest

(2009) O. L. Phillips et al.   SCIENCE

C4 photosynthesis and water stress

(2008) O. Ghannoum   ANNALS OF BOTANY

What Limits Trees in C4 Grasslands and Savannas?

(2008) William J. Bond   Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics

Consequences of More Extreme Precipitation Regimes for Terrestrial Ecosystems

(2008) Alan K. Knapp et al.   BIOSCIENCE

Tree die-off in response to global change-type drought: mortality insights from a decade of plant water potential measurements

(2008) David D Breshears et al.   FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Drought-induced tree death in savanna

(2008) R. J. FENSHAM et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Mechanisms of plant survival and mortality during drought: why do some plants survive while others succumb to drought?

(2008) Nate McDowell et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Increasing precipitation event size increases aboveground net primary productivity in a semi-arid grassland

(2008) Jana L. Heisler-White et al.   OECOLOGIA

Woody cover in African savannas: the role of resources, fire and herbivory

(2007) Mahesh Sankaran et al.   GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

Does drought control emergence and survival of grass seedlings in semi-arid rangelands?

(2007) P.A. Cipriotti et al.   JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS