Vegetation patch type has a greater influence on soil respiration than does fire history on soil respiration in an arid broadleaf savanna woodland, central Namibia

2021 ◽  
Vol 193 ◽  
pp. 104577
Author(s):  
Elise N. Nghalipo ◽  
Heather L. Throop
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Patch Type ◽  
Savanna Woodland ◽  
Vegetation Patch

Termite diversity and abundance across fire-induced habitat variability in a tropical moist savanna (Lamto, Central Côte d'Ivoire)

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanvaly Dosso ◽  
Souleymane Konaté ◽  
Daouda Aidara ◽  
K. E. Linsenmair
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Gallery Forest ◽  
Habitat Variability ◽  
Savanna Woodland ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Forest Island

Abstract:At Lamto, little is known about animal community responses to habitat variability resulting from fires and the mosaic pattern of the vegetation in general and in particular about that of termites which play key roles in this ecosystem. With a standardized method, data were collected on termites from four habitats differing in their vegetation cover and fire-history: annually burned savanna, savanna woodland, forest island and gallery forest. A range of environmental variables was measured and correlated with species abundances. The number of termite species collected in the savanna woodland was very close to that found in the gallery forest while the forest island was the richest habitat. The species richness of the savanna woodland and forest island seemed partly due to their heterogeneous and transitional vegetation structures and variable food resources. With regard to the fire-history of habitats, Connell's intermediate disturbance hypothesis offers an explanation for differences in the patterns of habitat-specific species richness. Variation in species abundances was significantly correlated with only two environmental variables (soil pH and woody plant species richness). The pH appeared as the most influential factor for fungus-growers while tree invasion in the savanna strongly reduces the abundance of grass-feeding species (e.g. Trinervitermes geminatus). Although not significantly correlated with species abundances, soil carbon showed a positive correlation with the dominant soil-feeder Basidentitermes potens. As for wood-feeders, they were not strongly correlated with woody plant species richness; this fact might be linked to their use for other sources of nourishment. Overall, it appears that habitat variability in the Lamto reserve contributes to the maintenance of different subsets of the termite community.

Seasonal variation in fire temperature and influence on soil CO2 efflux, root biomass, and soil water properties in a Sudanian savanna - woodland, West Africa

Soil Research ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Savadogo ◽  
Saïdou Santi ◽  
Sidzabda Djibril Dayamba ◽  
Hassan Bismark Nacro ◽  
Louis Sawadogo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Savanna Woodland ◽  
Fire Temperature ◽  
Soil Water Infiltration ◽  
In Fire

Savanna ecosystems are shaped mainly by fires, the consequences of which depend on both their intensities and the season in which they occur. The effects of fire disturbance on key soil parameters are still largely unknown, yet the knowledge of those effects are crucial to our understanding and management of savanna ecosystems. This study was aimed at determining seasonal variations in fire temperature and the influence of fire on soil respiration, root biomass, and soil water infiltration. It was conducted on long-term experimental plots established in 2006 in the savanna–woodland of Burkina Faso. Four fire treatments were applied: no fire, early fire, mid dry-season fire, and late dry-season fire. The results indicated that the average maximum temperature and the residence time of the lethal temperature varied significantly (P < 0.05) depending on the season of fire occurrence, the location of the soil probe, and the interaction between these two factors. The duration of heating above the critical temperature threshold was generally longest at ground level. The season in which fire occurred significantly (P ≤ 0.001) affected soil respiration, soil root biomass, and soil water infiltration. In conclusion, although fire can be used as a management tool in the savanna, the effects of fire on soil should be considered.

scholarly journals Study on Landscape Patches Influencing Hillslope Erosion Processes and Flow Hydrodynamics in the Loess Plateau of Western Shanxi Province, China

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3201
Author(s):  
Ruoxiu Sun ◽  
Li Ma ◽  
Shouhong Zhang ◽  
Yang Yu ◽  
Mingshuang Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
Shanxi Province ◽  
Stream Power ◽  
Patch Type ◽  
Vegetation Patch ◽  
Vegetation Landscape ◽  
Bare Land ◽  
Vegetation Patches

Although vegetation restoration plays an important role in the management of surface runoff and soil erosion, the large-scale restoration of vegetation can increase water consumption and reduce surface water resources, thus affecting the health of river ecosystems. Therefore, vegetation restoration should aim to achieve a vegetation landscape pattern that optimizes protection of soil resources while limiting water consumption. This study established field runoff plots with different landscape patch types, including bare land, S-road patches, strip patches, grid patches, and random patches, as well as different quantities patches of 5, 10, 15, and 20. An artificial rainfall experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different vegetation patches in reducing runoff and sediment, and the relationship between the types and number of vegetation patches and hydrodynamic parameters. The results showed that the runoff yields of the four vegetation patch types decreased by 16.1–48.7% compared with that of bare land, whereas sediment yields decreased by 42.1–86.5%. In addition, the resistance coefficients of the poorly connected patch patterns, including strip patches, grid patches, and random patches, ranged between 0.2–1.17 times higher than that of the well-connected S-road patch pattern, and the stream power decreased by 33.3–50.7%. Under a set vegetation coverage rate, an increase in the number of vegetation patches resulted in a significant reduction in runoff velocity, runoff yield, and sediment yield, increases in surface roughness and flow resistance, and reductions in runoff shear force and stream power. Besides, the sensitivity of soil to erosion decreased with an increasing number of the patch in the vegetation landscape, whereas the sensitivities of patch combinations with poor connectivity were lower than those with good connectivity. The results of this study highlight the importance of vegetation patch type and quantity for control of soil erosion.

Landscape Patches Influencing Runoff and Sediment Yield and Flow Hydrodynamics in The Loess Plateau, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoxiu Sun ◽  
Jianjun Zhang ◽  
Li Ma
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Stream Power ◽  
Patch Type ◽  
Vegetation Patch ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Bare Land ◽  
Vegetation Patches ◽  
Runoff And Sediment Yield

&lt;p&gt;The Loess Plateau is located in arid and semi-arid region, and the fragmentation of vegetation patches is large. However, the combination of vegetation patches to the runoff and sediment yield on the slope is not clear yet. To evaluate the influence of vegetation patch type and number on runoff, sediment and hydrodynamic parameters, this study established field runoff plots with different landscape patch types, including bare land, S-road patches, strip patches, grid patches and random patches, as well as different quantities patches of 5, 10, 15 and 20. The results showed that the runoff yields of the four vegetation patch types decreased by 16.1%&amp;#8211;48.7% (p&lt;0.05) compared with that of bare land, whereas sediment yields decreased by 42.1%&amp;#8211;86.5% (p&lt;0.05). Also, the resistance coefficients of the poorly connected patch patterns, including strip patches, grid patches and random patches, ranged between 0.2&amp;#8211;1.17 times higher than that of the well-connected S-road patch pattern, and the stream power decreased by 33.3%&amp;#8211;50.7% (p&lt;0.05). Under a uniform distribution of vegetation patches, the runoff rate and sediment yield decreased significantly with an increased number of patches. Although the increase in the number of vegetation patches also resulted in a decrease inflow shear stress and stream power to different degrees, the differences between the combinations with similar patch numbers were not significant. Besides, the sensitivity of soil to erosion decreased with an increasing number of the patch in the vegetation landscape, whereas the sensitivities of patch combinations with poor connectivity were lower than those with good connectivity. From this perspective, the optimization of vegetation in the Loess Plateau region requires sufficient consideration to reducing the connectivity of vegetation patches and increasing the density of patches.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Patterns of long-term woody vegetation change in a sandstone-plateau savanna woodland, Northern Territory, Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben R. Sharp ◽  
David M. J. S. Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Savanna Woodland ◽  
Photographic Analysis ◽  
River Region

Aerial photographs were used to assess changes in woody vegetation cover at 122 locations within a sandstone-plateau savanna woodland in the Victoria River region, Northern Territory, Australia. Despite locally variable vegetation responses, there has been little change in total woody vegetation cover since 1948. Thirty-three locations were also surveyed on the ground. It was found that sites for which vegetation cover had changed over the 50-y period were not significantly different from stable sites in terms of floristic composition, recent fire history, demographic stability among the dominant tree species, or edaphic setting. However, two of the dominant overstorey tree species – Eucalyptus tetrodonta and Eucalyptus phoenicea – showed significantly higher mortality on sites that had experienced vegetation cover decline since 1948. We suggest that observed changes in woody vegetation cover are a consequence of natural cycles of die-back and recovery of at least these two species in response to spatially heterogenous variables such as dry-season moisture stress. Although the widespread decline of fire-sensitive Callitris intratropica populations clearly indicates a historical shift from lower- to higher-intensity burning conditions within the study area, we reject the hypothesis of a landscape-wide process such as changing fire regimes or climatic change as the driving factor behind large-scale vegetation changes detected by aerial photographic analysis.

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