NDLI: Fire and Grazing Change Herbaceous Species Composition and Reduce Beta Diversity in the Kalahari Sand System

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Masunga, Gaseitsiwe S. Moe, Stein R. Pelekekae, Baipidi
Copyright Year	2012
Abstract	After rainfall and soils, fire and herbivory are two of the main determinants of savanna ecosystems. Although the interactive effects of fire and herbivores on soil and vegetation are widely acknowledged few studies have addressed these two factors in concert, and none of the studies has focused on the Kalahari sand system. We experimentally studied how annual late dry season fires and grazing affect herbaceous plant species composition, above- and belowground biomass, and soil and grass nutrient concentrations in the nutrient-poor semi-arid Kalahari system in northern Botswana. Four treatments (fire, grazing, fire + grazing, and no-fire–no-grazing) were applied for two consecutive years in the late dry season. Plant species composition was affected by treatment and year. The no-fire–no-grazing treatment was distinctly different from all the other treatments in terms of species composition. Beta diversity was lower on the fire treatment and grazing treatment, but not where fire and grazing were combined. Fire and grazing alone or in combination did not have a substantial effect on biomass, soil and plant nutrients or plant species alpha diversity. Plant nitrogen was the only element that differed between treatments, with high concentrations on all the grazed treatments in the first year and low levels on the fire-alone treatment during the second year. The results show that fire and grazing mainly affect species composition and large-scale biodiversity patterns as indicated by the no-fire–no-grazing treatment being distinctly different from other treatments, suggesting the evolutionary adaptation of this dystrophic Kalahari sand system to herbivory and fire.
Starting Page	252
Ending Page	268
Page Count	17
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14329840
Journal	Ecosystems
Volume Number	16
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	14350629
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2012-11-09
Publisher Place	New York
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	beta diversity fire herbivory Kalahari plant species composition semi-arid savanna soil nutrients Ecology Plant Sciences Zoology Environmental Management Geoecology/Natural Processes Nature Conservation
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology Environmental Chemistry Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Relative Impacts of Elephant and Fire on Large Trees in a Savanna Ecosystem

Interactive Effects of Ungulate Herbivores, Soil Fertility, and Variable Rainfall on Ecosystem Processes in a Semi-arid Savanna

Ecological Engineering by a Mega-Grazer: White Rhino Impacts on a South African Savanna

Effects of Herbivory, Fire and N2-fixation on Nutrient Limitation in a Humid African Savanna

N and P Cycling in Tanzanian Humid Savanna: Influence of Herbivores, Fire, and N2-Fixation

Relationships Between Plant Spatial Patterns, Water Infiltration Capacity, and Plant Community Composition in Semi-arid Mediterranean Ecosystems Along Stress Gradients

Reflecting on research produced after more than 60 years of exclosures in the Kruger National Park

Controls of Aboveground Net Primary Production in Mesic Savanna Grasslands: An Inter-Hemispheric Comparison

Islands of Fertility: A Byproduct of Grazing?

Fire and Grazing Change Herbaceous Species Composition and Reduce Beta Diversity in the Kalahari Sand System

Similar Documents

Relative Impacts of Elephant and Fire on Large Trees in a Savanna Ecosystem

Interactive Effects of Ungulate Herbivores, Soil Fertility, and Variable Rainfall on Ecosystem Processes in a Semi-arid Savanna

Ecological Engineering by a Mega-Grazer: White Rhino Impacts on a South African Savanna

Effects of Herbivory, Fire and N2-fixation on Nutrient Limitation in a Humid African Savanna

N and P Cycling in Tanzanian Humid Savanna: Influence of Herbivores, Fire, and N2-Fixation

Relationships Between Plant Spatial Patterns, Water Infiltration Capacity, and Plant Community Composition in Semi-arid Mediterranean Ecosystems Along Stress Gradients

Reflecting on research produced after more than 60 years of exclosures in the Kruger National Park

Controls of Aboveground Net Primary Production in Mesic Savanna Grasslands: An Inter-Hemispheric Comparison

Islands of Fertility: A Byproduct of Grazing?

Fire and Grazing Change Herbaceous Species Composition and Reduce Beta Diversity in the Kalahari Sand System