Journal ArticleDOI
A synthetic review of feedbacks and drivers of shrub encroachment in arid grasslands
TLDR
In this article, the authors introduce a simplistic modelling framework that can integrate the various drivers to explain the emergence of bistability for shrub-encroached grassland systems and identify the basic stages in the transition from grassland to shrubland.Abstract:
Many arid grasslands around the world are affected by woody plant encroachment and by the replacement of a relatively continuous grass cover with shrub patches bordered by bare soil. This shift in plant community composition is often abrupt in space and time, suggesting that it is likely sustained by positive feedbacks between vegetation and environmental conditions (e.g. resource availability) or disturbance regime (e.g. fire or freeze). These feedbacks amplify the effects of drivers of shrub encroachment, i.e. of conditions favouring a shift from grass to shrub dominance (e.g. overgrazing, climate change). Here, we review some major drivers and feedbacks and identify the basic stages in the transition from grassland to shrubland. We discuss some possible scenarios of interactions between drivers and feedbacks that could explain the transition from a stage to the next and the potential irreversibility of the shift from grass to shrub dominance. We introduce a simplistic modelling framework that can integrate the various drivers to explain the emergence of bistability for shrub-encroached grassland systems. Published 2011. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Global desertification: Drivers and feedbacks
TL;DR: In this article, a review of recent research on the drivers, feedbacks, and impacts of global desertification is presented, motivated by the increasing need to improve global food production and to sustainably manage ecosystems in the context of climate change.
Journal ArticleDOI
Global ecosystem thresholds driven by aridity
Miguel Berdugo,Miguel Berdugo,Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo,Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo,Santiago Soliveres,Rocío Hernández-Clemente,Yanchuang Zhao,Yanchuang Zhao,Juan José Gaitán,Juan José Gaitán,Juan José Gaitán,Nicolas Gross,Hugo Saiz,Vincent Maire,Anika Lehmann,Matthias C. Rillig,Ricard V. Solé,Ricard V. Solé,Fernando T. Maestre +18 more
TL;DR: Investigation of how 20 structural and functional ecosystem attributes respond to aridity in global drylands found evidence for a series of abrupt ecological events occurring sequentially in three phases, culminating with a shift to low-cover ecosystems that are nutrient- and species-poor at high aridity values.
Book ChapterDOI
Woody Plant Encroachment: Causes and Consequences
Steven R. Archer,Erik M. Andersen,Katharine I. Predick,Susanne Schwinning,Robert J. Steidl,Steven R. Woods +5 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the process of woody plant encroachment and its causes, the consequences for ecosystem function and the provision of services, and the effectiveness of management interventions aimed at reducing woody cover.
Journal ArticleDOI
Climate change reduces extent of temperate drylands and intensifies drought in deep soils.
Daniel R. Schlaepfer,Daniel R. Schlaepfer,John B. Bradford,William K. Lauenroth,William K. Lauenroth,Seth M. Munson,Britta Tietjen,Sonia A. Hall,Scott D. Wilson,Scott D. Wilson,Michael C. Duniway,Gensuo Jia,David A. Pyke,Ariuntsetseg Lkhagva,Khishigbayar Jamiyansharav +14 more
TL;DR: It is shown that, over the twenty first century, temperate drylands may contract by a third, primarily converting to subtropical drylands, and that deep soil layers could be increasingly dry during the growing season.
Journal ArticleDOI
Toward a new generation of agricultural system data, models, and knowledge products: State of agricultural systems science
James W. Jones,John M. Antle,Bruno Basso,Kenneth J. Boote,Richard T. Conant,Ian Foster,H. Charles J. Godfray,Mario Herrero,Richard E. Howitt,Sander Janssen,Brian Keating,Rafael Muñoz-Carpena,Cheryl H. Porter,Cynthia Rosenzweig,Tim Wheeler +14 more
TL;DR: It is concluded that multiple platforms and multiple models are needed for model applications for different purposes, and the Use Cases provide a useful framework for considering capabilities and limitations of existing models and data.
References
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