Feedbacks between vegetation and disturbance processes promote long-term persistence of forest–grassland mosaics in south Brazil

• Published in: Ecological modelling Vol. 291; pp. 224 - 232
• Main Authors: Blanco, Carolina Casagrande, Scheiter, Simon, Sosinski, Enio, Fidelis, Alessandra, Anand, Madhur, Pillar, Valério D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 10.11.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alternative stable states; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; biomass; Brazil; carbon dioxide; climate change; climatic factors; DGVM; Disturbances; Ecology; ecosystems; Feedback; fire spread; Fires; Forest expansion; Forestry; Forests; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects. Techniques; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; grasses; Grasslands; Heterogeneity; Methods and techniques (sampling, tagging, trapping, modelling...); prairies; rain; savannas; Seed dispersal; shrubs; Spatial heterogeneity; Subtropical grasslands; Synecology; temperature; Terrestrial ecosystems; topography; Vegetation; South America; Brazil; America; ASW, Brazil; Spatial heterogeneity; Alternative stable states; Subtropical grasslands; Seed dispersal; Forest expansion; DGVM; Grassland; Forests; Seeds; Perturbation; Long term; Dispersion; Persistence; Heterogeneity; Feedback; Vegetation; Models; Expansion

•We model dynamics of forest–grassland mosaics and fire in south Brazil.•We developed a spatially explicit dynamic global vegetation model.•Under frequent fires but implicit space, the potential vegetation is forest.•Seed dispersal delayed spatial dynamics even in the absence of fire.•Spatial patter...