Savanna woody encroachment is widespread across three continents

• Published in: Global change biology Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 235 - 244
• Main Authors: Stevens, Nicola, Lehmann, Caroline E. R., Murphy, Brett P., Durigan, Giselda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Africa; allometry; Australia; Climate change; CO 2; Conservation of Natural Resources; deciduousness; Ecosystem; fire suppression; forest expansion; Global warming; Grassland; Grasslands; land‐use change; N‐fixation; South America; Trees; Vegetation; woody encroachment; woody vegetation change; ASW, South America; Australia; Africa; deciduousness; CO 2; allometry; woody encroachment; forest expansion; land-use change; woody vegetation change; fire suppression; N-fixation

Tropical savannas are a globally extensive biome prone to rapid vegetation change in response to changing environmental conditions. Via a meta‐analysis, we quantified savanna woody vegetation change spanning the last century. We found a global trend of woody encroachment that was established prior t...