Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores

About this book

Increasingly recognized as synonymous with tropical grassy biomes, savannas are found in tropical and sub-tropical climates as well as warm, temperate regions of North America. Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores examines the interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals in global savannas – focusing primarily on the C₄ grassy ecosystems with woody components that constitute the majority of global savannas – and discusses contemporary savanna management models and applications.

This much-needed addition to current research examines topics including the varying behaviour of browsing mammals, the response to browsing by woody species, and the factors that inhibit forage intake. Contributions from an international team of active researchers and experts compare and contrast different savanna ecosystems, offering a global perspective on savanna functioning, the roles of soil and climate in resource availability and organism interaction, and the possible impacts of climate change across global savannas.

- Fills a gap in the literature on savanna management issues, including biodiversity conservation and animal production
- Applies concepts developed in other biomes to future savanna research
- Complements contemporary books on savanna or large herbivore ecology
- Focuses on the woody component of savanna ecosystems and large herbivore interactions in savannas
- Compares tree-mammal systems of savannas and other eco-systems of temperate and boreal regions
- Provides numerous case studies of plant-mammal interactions from various savanna ecosystems

Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores is a valuable addition to those in fields such as ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, natural resource management, and environmental science.

Contents

List of Contributors xv
Preface xix

Part I Introduction   1
1 Distribution and Determinants of Savannas / Sally Archibald, William J. Bond, William Hoffmann, Caroline Lehmann, Carla Staver, and Nicola Stevens   3
2 African and Asian Savannas: Comparisons of Vegetation Composition and Drivers of Vegetation Structure and Function / Jayashree Ratnam, Chintan Sheth, and Mahesh Sankaran   25
3 Savannas of Australia and New Guinea: Vegetation and the Functional Role of Extant and Extinct Fauna / Garry D. Cook, William J. Bond, Edmund C. February, and Richard J. Williams   51
4 South American Savannas / Fabian Borghetti, Eduardo Barbosa, Leandro Ribeiro, Jose Felipe Ribeiro, and Bruno Machado Teles Walter   77
5 Savannas of North America / Norma L. Fowler and Brian Beckage   123
6 Socioeconomic Value of Savannas / Wayne Twine   151

Part II Herbivores   181
7 Ecology of Smaller Animals Associated with Savanna Woody Plants: The Value of the Finer Details / Colleen Seymour and Grant Joseph   183
8 Evolution of Large Mammal Herbivores in Savannas / Daryl Codron   213
9 Browser Population-Woody Vegetation Relationships in Savannas: From Bites to Landscapes / Melissa H. Schmitt and Adrian M. Shrader   245
10 Predator Effects on Herbivore Dynamics and Behavior: What Mechanisms Lead to Trophic Cascades in Savannas? / Simon Chamaillé-Jammes, Marion Valeix, and Joris Cromsigt   279

Part III Woody Plants   309
11 Physiological Traits of Savanna Woody Species: Adaptations to Resource Availability / Edmund C. February, Corli Coetsee, Garry D. Cook, Jayashree Ratnam, and Benjamin Wigley   311
12 Patterns and Determinants of Woody Plant Growth in Savannas / Anthony Swemmer and David Ward   331
13 Fire and Browsers in Savannas: Traits, Interactions, and Continent-Level Patterns / Gareth P. Hempson, Sally Archibald, and Carla Staver   439
14 Woody Plant Architecture and Effects on Browsing Herbivores in Savannas / Tristan Charles-Dominique, Jean-Francois Barczi , and Simon Chamaillé-Jammes   469
15 Browsing Herbivore-Woody Plant Interactions in Savannas / Peter Frank Scogings and Juan H. Gowda   489
16 Mesobrowser Abundance and Effects on Woody Plants in Savannas / David J. Augustine, Peter Frank Scogings, and Mahesh Sankaran   551
17 Megabrowser Impacts on Woody Vegetation in Savannas / Norman Owen-Smith, Bruce Page, Gabriella Teren, and Dave J. Druce   585
18 Indirect Effects of Browsing Herbivores in Savannas / Corli Coetsee, Dario Fornara, Antoinette Veldtman, and Benjamin Wigley   613

Part IV Synthesis    643
19 Water Limitation, Fire, and Savanna Persistence: A Conceptual Model / Brian Beckage, Gabriela Bucini, Louis J. Gross, William J. Platt, Steven I. Higgins, Norma L. Fowler, Matthew G. Slocum, and Caroline Farrior   645
20 Savanna Ecosystem Models: What Should a Clever Modeler Code? / Gregory Kiker and Peter Frank Scogings   661
21 Woody Plants and Large Herbivores in Savannas: Ancient Past - Uncertain Future / Peter Frank Scogings and Mahesh Sankaran   683

Index   713

Customer Reviews

Biography

Peter Frank Scogings is Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mahesh Sankaran is Reader, National Centre for Biological Sciences, India, and Lecturer, Institute of Integrative & Comparative Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK.