The DOI matches its Crossref record; 52 of the 52 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Effects of fire and herbivory on the stability of savanna ecosystems.
Open accessAbstract
Savanna ecosystems are characterized by the co-occurrence of trees and grasses. In this paper, we argue that the balance between trees and grasses is, to a large extent, determined by the indirect interactive effects of herbivory and fire. These effects are based on the positive feedback between fuel load (grass biomass) and fire intensity. An increase in the level of grazing leads to reduced fuel load, which makes fire less intense and, thus, less damaging to trees and, consequently, results in an increase in woody vegetation. The system then switches from a state with trees and grasses to a state with solely trees. Similarly, browsers may enhance the effect of fire on trees because they reduce woody biomass, thus indirectly stimulating grass growth. This consequent increase in fuel load results in more intense fire and increased decline of biomass. The system then switches from a state with solely trees to a state with trees and grasses. We maintain that the interaction between fire and herbivory provides a mechanistic explanation for observed discontinuous changes in woody and grass biomass. This is an alternative for the soil degradation mechanism, in which there is a positive feedback between the amount of grass biomass and the amount of water that infiltrates into the soil. The soil degradation mechanism predicts no discontinuous changes, such as bush encroachment, on sandy soils. Such changes, however, are frequently observed. Therefore, the interactive effects of fire and herbivory provide a more plausible explanation for the occurrence of discontinuous changes in savanna ecosystems.
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Cited by
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Determinants of woody cover in African savannas.
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Self-citationWhat Limits Trees in C4 Grasslands and Savannas?
Bond, W. J. (2008) · Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics · doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173411 · Cited by 909
Self-citationWoody cover in African savannas: the role of resources, fire and herbivory.
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Asner, G. P., Levick, S. R., Kennedy-Bowdoin, T., Knapp, D. E., Emerson, R., Jacobson, J., Colgan, M. S., & Martin, R. E. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0810637106 · Cited by 309
Metadata
- Authors
- Van Langevelde, F., Van De Vijver, C. A. D. M., Kumar, L., Van De Koppel, J., De Ridder, N., Van Andel, J., Skidmore, A. K., Hearne, J. W., Stroosnijder, L., Bond, W. J., Prins, H. H. T., & Rietkerk, M.
- Affiliations
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
- University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA)
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- Utrecht University (NL)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Ecology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2003-02
- Volume
- 84
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 337-350
- ISSN
- 0012-9658 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2178782888
- Cited by
- 757
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 40 · 2016: 44 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 43
- FWCI
- 17.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- pure.knaw.nl
- Licence
- Locations
- Ecology (publishedVersion)
- KNAW Research Portal (The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
- University of Twente Research Information (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- RMIT Research Repository (RMIT University Library) (submittedVersion)
- EPubDev Repository (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Open University of Cape Town (University of Cape Town) (submittedVersion)
- RUNE (Research UNE) (submittedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- University of Twente Research Information (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (cc-by)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Fire effects on ecosystems
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Keywords
- savanna ecosystems, fire, herbivory, grazing, shrub encroachment, woody vegetation, grass biomass, fuel load, positive feedback, ecosystem stability, indirect interactions, soil degradation, web browsers
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- Van Langevelde, F., Van De Vijver, C. A. D. M., Kumar, L., Van De Koppel, J., De Ridder, N., Van Andel, J., Skidmore, A. K., Hearne, J. W., Stroosnijder, L., Bond, W. J., Prins, H. H. T., & Rietkerk, M. (2003). Effects of fire and herbivory on the stability of savanna ecosystems. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2003)084%5B0337%3Aeofaho%5D2.0.co%3B2
