An African Savanna Synthesis of the Nylsvley Study

About this book

Savannas cover roughly half the African land surface, and a fifth of the world land surface, and are one of the most important yet least understood ecosystems. This book presents a synthesis of 16 years of study on the Nylsvley area in South Africa, one of the most intensively studied savanna regions in the world.

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.

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