Treegrass coexistence in Savannas: The role of spatial dynamics and climate fluctuations Academic Article

abstract

• The codominance of trees and grasses in savannas is explained as resulting from the minimization of vegetation stress. It is shown that under different climate, soil and vegetation conditions local interactions dictated by the spatial competition for soil moisture lead to an optimal state of minimum global water stress involving a stable coexistence of trees and grasses. The optimal state matches the observed canopy cover and soil moisture characteristics. Moreover, changes in canopy cover in the savanna environments are also suggested to result from climate fluctuations.

authors

• Rodriguez-Iturbe, Ignacio

published proceedings

• Geophysical Research Letters

author list (cited authors)

• RodrguezIturbe, I., D'Odorico, P., Porporato, A., & Ridolfi, L.

citation count

• 82

complete list of authors

• Rodríguez‐Iturbe, Ignacio||D'Odorico, Paolo||Porporato, Amilcare||Ridolfi, Luca

publication date

• January 1999

publisher

• American Geophysical Union (AGU)  Publisher

published in

• Geophysical Research Letters  Journal

keywords

• 13 Climate Action

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1029/1998gl900296

start page

• 247

end page

• 250

volume

• 26

issue

• 2

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/1998gl900296

user-defined tag

• 13 Climate Action