Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 371, No 1703

Change Password

Old Password

New Password

Too Short Weak Medium Strong Very Strong Too Long

Your password must have 8 characters or more and contain 3 of the following:

a lower case character,
an upper case character,
a special character
or a digit

Too Short

Congrats!

Your password has been changed

Create a new account

Email

Can't sign in? Forgot your password?

Enter your email address below and we will send you the reset instructions

Email

Cancel

If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to reset your password.

Close

Request Username

Can't sign in? Forgot your username?

Enter your email address below and we will send you your username

Email

Close

If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to retrieve your username

Login to your account

Email

Password

Forgot password?

Keep me logged in

Institutional Login

brought to you byMassachusetts Inst of Technology

Skip main navigation Journal menu

All Journals

Brought to you by Massachusetts Inst of Technology

Sign in

Institutional Access
0 Cart
Search
Anywhere
This Journal
Quick Search anywhere
Enter words, phrases, DOI, keywords, authors, etc...
Quick Search in Journals
Enter words, phrases, DOI, keywords, authors, etc...

Advanced Search

Skip main navigation Journal menu

Home
Content
Information for
About us
Sign up for alerts
RSS feeds
Propose an issue

Export Citation

Select Citation format

Download citation
Copy citation

Sections

Export Citations Track Citations Add to Favorites

Table of Contents

Theme issue ‘Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation’ compiled and edited by Catherine L. Parr and Caroline E. R. Lehmann

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation

Caroline E. R. Lehmann and
Catherine L. Parr

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20160329

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0329

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Tropical grassy biomes (TGBs) are changing rapidly the world over through a coalescence of high rates of land-use change, global change and altered disturbance regimes that maintain the ecosystem structure and function of these biomes. Our theme issue ...

SECTION I: DEFINING AND CHARACTERIZING TROPICAL GRASSY BIOMES

Review article

Savannahs of Asia: antiquity, biogeography, and an uncertain future

Jayashree Ratnam,
Kyle W. Tomlinson,
Dina N. Rasquinha and
Mahesh Sankaran

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150305

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0305

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

The savannahs of Asia remain locally unrecognized as distinctive ecosystems, and continue to be viewed as degraded forests or seasonally dry tropical forests. These colonial-era legacies are problematic, because they fail to recognize the unique diversity ...

Research article

The underestimated biodiversity of tropical grassy biomes

Brett P. Murphy,
Alan N. Andersen and
Catherine L. Parr

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150319

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0319

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

For decades, there has been enormous scientific interest in tropical savannahs and grasslands, fuelled by the recognition that they are a dynamic and potentially unstable biome, requiring periodic disturbance for their maintenance. However, that ...

Opinion piece

Clarifying the confusion: old-growth savannahs and tropical ecosystem degradation

Joseph W. Veldman

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150306

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0306

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Ancient tropical grassy biomes are often misrecognized as severely degraded forests. I trace this confusion to several factors, with roots in the nineteenth century, including misinterpretations of the nature of fire in savannahs, attempts to reconcile ...

Research article

Reforestation or conservation? The attributes of old growth grasslands in South Africa

Nicholas P. Zaloumis and
William J. Bond

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150310

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0310

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Deforestation as a result of burning and land conversion in the tropics and subtropics has been widely studied and active restoration of forests has been widely promoted. Besides other benefits, reforestation can sequester carbon thereby reducing CO₂ ...

SECTION II: PATTERNS AND DRIVERS OF VEGETATION CHANGE

Research article

Woody encroachment over 70 years in South African savannahs: overgrazing, global change or extinction aftershock?

Nicola Stevens,
B. F. N. Erasmus,
S. Archibald and
W. J. Bond

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150437

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0437

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Woody encroachment in ‘open’ biomes like grasslands and savannahs is occurring globally. Both local and global drivers, including elevated CO₂, have been implicated in these increases. The relative importance of different processes is unresolved as there ...

Research article

The future distribution of the savannah biome: model-based and biogeographic contingency

Glenn R. Moncrieff,
Simon Scheiter,
Liam Langan,
Antonio Trabucco and
Steven I. Higgins

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150311

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0311

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

The extent of the savannah biome is expected to be profoundly altered by climatic change and increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Contrasting projections are given when using different modelling approaches to estimate future distributions. ...

Research article

Reconciling agriculture, carbon and biodiversity in a savannah transformation frontier

L. D. Estes,
T. Searchinger,
M. Spiegel,
D. Tian,
S. Sichinga,
M. Mwale,
L. Kehoe,
T. Kuemmerle,
A. Berven,
N. Chaney,
J. Sheffield,
E. F. Wood and
K. K. Caylor

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150316

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0316

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Rapidly rising populations and likely increases in incomes in sub-Saharan Africa make tens of millions of hectares of cropland expansion nearly inevitable, even with large increases in crop yields. Much of that expansion is likely to occur in higher ...

Research article

Understanding patterns of land-cover change in the Brazilian Cerrado from 2000 to 2015

Mário M. Espírito-Santo,
Marcos E. Leite,
Jhonathan O. Silva,
Rômulo S. Barbosa,
André M. Rocha,
Felisa C. Anaya and
Mariana G. V. Dupin

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150435

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0435

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Clearing tropical vegetation impacts biodiversity, the provision of ecosystem services, and thus ultimately human welfare. We quantified changes in land cover from 2000 to 2015 across the Cerrado biome of northern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. We assessed ...

SECTION III: A COMPLEX AND DYNAMIC ECOLOGY

Review article

Competing consumers: contrasting the patterns and impacts of fire and mammalian herbivory in Africa

Sally Archibald and
Gareth P. Hempson

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150309

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0309

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Fire and herbivory are the two consumers of above-ground biomass globally. They have contrasting impacts as they differ in terms of selectivity and temporal occurrence. Here, we integrate continental-scale data on fire and herbivory in Africa to explore (...

Research article

The spatial distribution of African savannah herbivores: species associations and habitat occupancy in a landscape context

T. Michael Anderson,
Staci White,
Bryant Davis,
Rob Erhardt,
Meredith Palmer,
Alexandra Swanson,
Margaret Kosmala and
Craig Packer

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150314

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0314

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Herbivores play an important role in determining the structure and function of tropical savannahs. Here, we (i) outline a framework for how interactions among large mammalian herbivores, carnivores and environmental variation influence herbivore habitat ...

Review article

Many shades of green: the dynamic tropical forest–savannah transition zones

Immaculada Oliveras and
Yadvinder Malhi

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150308

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0308

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

The forest–savannah transition is the most widespread ecotone in tropical areas, separating two of the most productive terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we review current understanding of the factors that shape this transition, and how it may change under ...

SECTION IV: RESOURCES AND PEOPLE

Research article

Ecosystem services from southern African woodlands and their future under global change

Casey M. Ryan,
Rose Pritchard,
Iain McNicol,
Matthew Owen,
Janet A. Fisher and
Caroline Lehmann

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150312

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0312

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Miombo and mopane woodlands are the dominant land cover in southern Africa. Ecosystem services from these woodlands support the livelihoods of 100 M rural people and 50 M urban dwellers, and others beyond the region. Provisioning services contribute $9 ± ...

Research article

Charcoal production in the Mopane woodlands of Mozambique: what are the trade-offs with other ecosystem services?

Emily Woollen,
Casey M. Ryan,
Sophia Baumert,
Frank Vollmer,
Isla Grundy,
Janet Fisher,
Jone Fernando,
Ana Luz,
Natasha Ribeiro and
Sá N. Lisboa

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150315

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0315

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

African woodlands form a major part of the tropical grassy biome and support the livelihoods of millions of rural and urban people. Charcoal production in particular is a major economic activity, but its impact on other ecosystem services is little ...

Research article

Woody encroachment and its consequences on hydrological processes in the savannah

Eliane A. Honda and
Giselda Durigan

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20150313

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0313

Abstract
Full text
PDF
References

Preview Abstract

Woody encroachment due to changes in climate or in the disturbance regimes (fire and herbivory) has been observed throughout the savannah biome over the last century with ecological, hydrological and socioeconomic consequences. We assessed changes in tree ...

CORRECTIONS

Correction

Correction to ‘The zinc sensing receptor, ZnR/GPR39, triggers metabotropic calcium signalling in colonocytes and regulates occludin recovery in experimental colitis’

Laxmi Sunuwar,
Michal Medini,
Limor Cohen,
Israel Sekler and
Michal Hershfinkel

Published:19 September 2016Article ID:20160331

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0331

This article corrects the following
- Research article
  The zinc sensing receptor, ZnR/GPR39, triggers metabotropic calcium signalling in colonocytes and regulates occludin recovery in experimental colitis
  https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0420
  - Laxmi Sunuwar
  - Michal Medini
  - Limor Cohen
  - Israel Sekler
  - Michal Hershfinkel
  - Volume 371Issue 1700Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
  - 5 August 2016

Full text
PDF

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences cover image

19 September 2016

Volume 371Issue 1703

Editor-In-Chief

Professor Richard Dixon FRS

About the cover

Cover image
Sunset over western Itremo, in the Central Highlands of Madagascar. This ancient savannah supports a unique biodiversity, providing ecosystem services and supporting the livelihoods of the people of the region. (Image credit: Caroline Lehmann).
Front matter (PDF)
Back matter (PDF)
Ed board (PDF)

Browse by subject

evolution(9809)
ecology(9694)
behaviour(7835)
environmental science(2636)
cognition(2549)
neuroscience (2369)
computational biology(2122)
biomechanics(2037)
biophysics(2009)
applied mathematics(1965)
health and disease and epidemiology(1905)
genetics (1526)
molecular biology(1515)
materials science(1503)
cellular biology(1403)
palaeontology(1391)
biochemistry(1374)
developmental biology(1332)
biomathematics(1288)
mechanical engineering(1152)
systems biology(1140)
physiology (1126)

See all subjects

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS B

About this journal
Propose an issue
Contact information
Purchasing information
Journal metrics
Recommend to your library
Search help

ROYAL SOCIETY PUBLISHING

Our journals
Historical context
Open access
Open science
Publishing policies
Permissions
Conferences
Videos
Manage your account
Terms & conditions
Privacy policy
Cookies

THE ROYAL SOCIETY

About us
Contact us
Fellows
Events
Grants, schemes & awards
Topics & policy
Collections
Venue hire

Back to top

Copyright © 2025 The Royal Society