dc.contributor.author
Irob, Katja
dc.contributor.author
Blaum, Niels
dc.contributor.author
Tietjen, Britta
dc.date.accessioned
2024-03-14T08:52:48Z
dc.date.available
2024-03-14T08:52:48Z
dc.identifier.uri
https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/42256
dc.identifier.uri
http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-41982
dc.description.abstract
1. Savannas are characterized by water scarcity and degradation, making them highly vulnerable to increased uncertainties in water availability resulting from climate change. This poses a significant threat to ecosystem services and rural livelihoods that depend on them. In addition, the lack of consensus among climate models on precipitation change makes it difficult for land managers to plan for the future. Therefore, Savanna rangeland management needs to develop strategies that can sustain Savanna resilience and avoid tipping points under an uncertain future climate.
2. Our study aims to analyse the impacts of climate change and rangeland management on degradation in Savanna ecosystems of southern Africa, providing insights for the management of semi-arid Savannas under uncertain conditions worldwide. To achieve this, we simulated the effects of projected changes in temperature and precipitation, as predicted by 10 global climate models, on water resources and vegetation (cover, functional diversity, tipping points (transition from grass-dominated to shrub-dominated vegetation)). We simulated three different rangeland management options (herbivore communities dominated by grazers, by browser and by mixed feeders), each with low and high animal densities, using the ecohydrological model EcoHyD.
3. Our results identified intensive grazing as the primary contributor to the increased risk of degradation in response to changing climatic conditions across all climate change scenarios. This degradation encompassed a reduction in available water for plant growth within the context of predicted climate change. It also entails a decline in the overall vegetation cover, the loss of functionally important plant species and the inefficient utilization of available water resources, leading to earlier tipping points.
4. Synthesis and applications. Our findings underscore that, in the face of climate uncertainty, farmers' most effective strategy for securing their livelihoods and ecosystem stability is to integrate browsers and apply management of mixed herbivore communities. This management approach not only significantly delays or averts tipping points but also maintained greater plant functional diversity, fostering a more robust and resilient ecosystem that acts as a vital buffer against adverse climatic conditions.
en
dc.format.extent
13 Seiten
dc.rights.uri
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject
climate change
en
dc.subject
ecohydrological modelling
en
dc.subject
management strategies
en
dc.subject
Savanna ecosystems
en
dc.subject
tipping points
en
dc.subject.ddc
500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie
dc.title
Navigating uncertainty: Managing herbivore communities enhances Savanna ecosystem resilience under climate change
dc.type
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi
10.1111/1365-2664.14573
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitle
Journal of Applied Ecology
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.number
3
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.pagestart
551
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.pageend
563
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume
61
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.url
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14573
refubium.affiliation
Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie
refubium.affiliation.other
Institut für Biologie
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refubium.funding
DEAL Wiley
refubium.note.author
Die Publikation wurde aus Open Access Publikationsgeldern der Freien Universität Berlin gefördert.
refubium.resourceType.isindependentpub
no
dcterms.accessRights.openaire
open access
dcterms.isPartOf.eissn
1365-2664