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Cited by 29Remote Sensing in AgricultureEcosystem dynamics and resilienceEcology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Grass and tree cover responses to intra-seasonal rainfall variability vary along a rainfall gradient in African tropical grassy biomes

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D’Onofrio, Donatella, Sweeney, Luke, von Hardenberg, Jost, Baudena, Mara·2019·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-019-38933-9PMC PMC6382848
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Abstract

Although it is well known that mean annual rainfall (MAR) and rainfall seasonality have a key role in influencing the distribution of tree and grass cover in African tropical grassy biomes (TGBs), the impact of intra-seasonal rainfall variability on these distributions is less agreed upon. Since the prevalent mechanisms determining biome occurrence and distribution change with MAR, this research investigates the role of intra-seasonal rainfall variability for three different MAR ranges, assessing satellite data on grass and tree cover, rainfall and fire intervals at a sub-continental scale in sub-Saharan Africa. For MAR below 630 mm y−1, rainfall frequency had a positive relationship with grass cover; this relationship however became mostly negative at intermediate MAR (630–1200 mm y−1), where tree cover correspondingly mostly increased with rainfall frequency. In humid TGBs, tree cover decreased with rainfall intensity. Overall, intra-seasonal rainfall variability plays a role in determining vegetation cover, especially in mesic TGBs, where the relative dominance of trees and grasses has previously been largely unexplained. Importantly, the direction of the effect of intra-seasonal variability changes with MAR. Given the predicted increases in rainfall intensity in Africa as a consequence of climate change, the effects on TGBs are thus likely to vary depending on the MAR levels.

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  • Rainfall is a significant determinant of phytomass growth and is a more important factor than temperature.

    “Consistent with the environmental science literature (e.g., Waha, Müller and Rolinski, 2013, D'Onofrio, Sweeney, von Hardenberg and Baudena, 2019), we find that rainfall is a significant determinant of phytomass growth and is a more important factor than temperature.”

    From Transhumant Pastoralism, Climate Change, and Conflict in Africa (2025) · cites this paper as D'Onofrio, Sweeney, von Hardenberg and Baudena, 2019

    The Introduction (page not available) identifies mean annual rainfall as a major factor governing tree and grass cover, and the Discussion reports relationships between rainfall and vegetation cover. The paper studies cover rather than phytomass growth and does not compare rainfall’s importance with temperature; a search for temperature found no such comparison. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
D’Onofrio, D., Sweeney, L., von Hardenberg, J., & Baudena, M.
Affiliations
Utrecht University (NL)
Corresponding author
Baudena, Mara
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-02-20
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
2334-2334
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-019-38933-9
PMC
PMC6382848
OpenAlex
W2918011748
Cited by
29
References
1
Citations by year
2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1
FWCI
2.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PORTO@Iris (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • EC | Horizon 2020 (641816 (CRESCENDO))
  • Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca (MIUR), Progetto di interesse strategico NEXTDATA
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Remote Sensing in Agriculture
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
Keywords
rainfall frequency, rainfall intensity, tree cover, grass cover, vegetation cover, fire return interval, climate change impacts, sub-Saharan Africa
MeSH terms
Poaceae, Rain, Seasons, Trees, Tropical Climate, Linear Models, Ecosystem, Africa South of the Sahara

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