Arid
DOI10.1111/jvs.12303
A repeat photograph analysis of long-term vegetation change in semi-arid South Africa in response to land use and climate
Masubelele, Mmoto L.1; Hoffman, Michael T.2; Bond, William J.3,4
通讯作者Masubelele, Mmoto L.
来源期刊JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
ISSN1100-9233
EISSN1654-1103
出版年2015
卷号26期号:5页码:1013-1023
英文摘要

QuestionsHow has the vegetation of the major biomes (Grassland, Nama-karoo, Albany Thicket, Azonal) of southeastern South Africa changed over the course of the 20th century? How do changes in climate and land-use drivers relate to long-term changes in vegetation? What are the implications of these findings for land degradation hypotheses and future climate change projections for the region?


LocationThe biogeographically complex semi-arid, Karoo Midlands region of the southeastern part of South Africa.


MethodsWe re-photographed 65 historical landscape photographs, the majority of which dated from 1950 to 1970, to measure long-term changes in the cover of grasses, dwarf shrubs, tall shrubs and alien plants. The cover of each growth form as well as total vegetation cover was estimated from matched photograph pairs with the aid of detailed cover estimates recorded in the field. The change in cover was relativized between sites by dividing the difference in cover between the two time steps by the number of years between photographs, expressed as the percentage change in cover per decade. Significant changes in mean annual rainfall and the standardized precipitation index (SPI) from 27 climate stations were assessed using a Mann-Kendall test for trend. This non-parametric test was also used to assess the significance of long-term trends in the number of cattle, sheep and goats in each of the biomes over the period 1911-1996.


ResultsGrass cover and total vegetation cover had increased by between 1.0% to 4.5% per decade and 2.0% to 4.5% per decade, respectively, in all biomes investigated. In contrast, the cover of dwarf shrubs had decreased significantly by between 0.25% and 3.0% per decade, although not significantly so in the Nama-karoo biome. The change in tall shrub cover varied between different biomes but had generally increased in the study area. Alien plants were absent in the historical photographs and had increased significantly but only in Azonal habitats, where increases of 1.5% per decade were recorded. For the majority of climate stations no significant trend in mean annual rainfall and SPI values was recorded, while stocking rate had declined significantly in all biomes by between 36% and 48% from 1911 to 1996.


ConclusionsThe findings support the hypothesis that vegetation cover and condition has improved in the semi-arid regions of South Africa. These findings are discussed in light of future projections for the region.


英文关键词Bioclimatic envelope model Biome Biome shifts Climate change Degradation Desertification Ecotone Environmental history Historical ecology Land use Long-term change Overgrazing Plant growth form Shrub expansion
类型Article
语种英语
国家South Africa
收录类别SCI-E
WOS记录号WOS:000359868800020
WOS关键词ANTHROPOGENIC TRANSFORMATION ; PLANT DIVERSITY ; EASTERN KAROO ; DYNAMICS ; RAINFALL ; DESERTIFICATION ; BIODIVERSITY ; VARIABILITY ; LANDSCAPES ; ECOSYSTEMS
WOS类目Plant Sciences ; Ecology ; Forestry
WOS研究方向Plant Sciences ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology ; Forestry
资源类型期刊论文
条目标识符http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/189036
作者单位1.Cape Res Ctr, ZA-7947 Steenberg, South Africa;
2.Univ Cape Town, Dept Biol Sci, Plant Conservat Unit, ZA-7701 Cape Town, South Africa;
3.Univ Cape Town, NRF, South African Environm Observat Network, ZA-7701 Cape Town, South Africa;
4.Univ Cape Town, Dept Biol Sci, ZA-7701 Cape Town, South Africa
推荐引用方式
GB/T 7714
Masubelele, Mmoto L.,Hoffman, Michael T.,Bond, William J.. A repeat photograph analysis of long-term vegetation change in semi-arid South Africa in response to land use and climate[J],2015,26(5):1013-1023.
APA Masubelele, Mmoto L.,Hoffman, Michael T.,&Bond, William J..(2015).A repeat photograph analysis of long-term vegetation change in semi-arid South Africa in response to land use and climate.JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE,26(5),1013-1023.
MLA Masubelele, Mmoto L.,et al."A repeat photograph analysis of long-term vegetation change in semi-arid South Africa in response to land use and climate".JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE 26.5(2015):1013-1023.
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