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1. Relationships between ecosystem services: Comparing methods for assessing tradeoffs and synergies

Author

Ameline Vallet, Bruno Locatelli, Robert J. Scholes, Ralf Seppelt, Sven Wunder, Harold Levrel, Johan Oszwald, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement ( CIRAD ), Center for International Forestry Research ( CIFOR ), CIFOR, AgroParisTech, Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement ( CIRED ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -École des Ponts ParisTech ( ENPC ) -AgroParisTech-École des hautes études en sciences sociales ( EHESS ) -Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement ( CIRAD ), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research ( UFZ ), University of the Witwatersrand [Johannesburg] ( WITS ), Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique ( LETG - Rennes ), Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique ( LETG ), Université de Caen Normandie ( UNICAEN ), Normandie Université ( NU ) -Normandie Université ( NU ) -Université d'Angers ( UA ) -Université de Nantes ( UN ) -École pratique des hautes études ( EPHE ) -Université de Brest ( UBO ) -Université de Rennes 2 ( UR2 ), Université de Rennes ( UNIV-RENNES ) -Université de Rennes ( UNIV-RENNES ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université de Caen Normandie ( UNICAEN ), Université de Rennes ( UNIV-RENNES ) -Université de Rennes ( UNIV-RENNES ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Université de Rennes 2 ( UR2 ), Université de Rennes ( UNIV-RENNES ), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research [CGIAR] (CGIAR), centre international de recherche sur l'environnement et le développement (CIRED), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-AgroParisTech-Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), Helmholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung = Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), University of the Witwatersrand [Johannesburg] (WITS), Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique (LETG - Rennes), Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique UMR 6554 (LETG), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Université d'Angers (UA)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (IGARUN), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), and Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)

Subjects
[ MATH ] Mathematics [math], Economics and Econometrics, Watershed, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Computer science, 010501 environmental sciences, 01 natural sciences, Ecosystem services, Set (abstract data type), [ SDE ] Environmental Sciences, Software, Landscape configuration, Econometrics, Production (economics), [MATH]Mathematics [math], 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, General Environmental Science, Land use, business.industry, Pareto principle, 15. Life on land, Production–possibility frontier, [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society, Correlation, Ecosystem services relationships, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, P01 - Conservation de la nature et ressources foncières, Production frontier, U30 - Méthodes de recherche, business, [ SDE.ES ] Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society
Abstract

International audience; Understanding the interactions between the multiple ecosystem services (ES) which can be delivered from a single landscape is essential. Most studies on ES relationships use spatial or temporal statistical analysis (for example: correlations between services). Methods from microeconomic theory have recently received attention for describing ES relationships. The nature and intensity of ES relationships can be assessed by fitting a production possibility frontier that indicates the maximum amount of one ES that can be produced by landscape, for different levels of another ES. This study estimates production frontiers empirically, and compares the ES relationships insights gained this way with those inferred from correlation approaches. InVEST software was used to model and map the provision of six ES in the Reventazón watershed in Costa Rica. Spatial and temporal ES correlation patterns were analyzed for four observed land uses/land covers (LULC). Production frontiers were constructed using a set of 32 simulated scenarios. Production frontier was the most sensitive method for detecting ES relationships. The nature and intensity of ES relationships revealed depended on the analytic methods used. In comparison with correlations, the production frontier approach provided additional information relating to tradeoff intensity and Pareto efficient LULC configurations.

Published
2018
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2. Observation and integrated Earth-system science: A roadmap for 2016–2025

Author

Robert J. Scholes, Pieternel F. Levelt, Joyce E. Penner, Johnny A. Johannessen, Kevin E. Trenberth, Magdalena Balmaseda, David Halpern, Philippe Ciais, Ernesto Lopez-Baeza, Ghassem R. Asrar, Venkatachalam Ramaswamy, Martin Heimann, Adrian Simmons, Nadine Gobron, John P. Burrows, Pierre Friedlingstein, Jean-Louis Fellous, Eric Guilyardi, Mark R. Drinkwater, Theodore G. Shepherd, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Center for Atmospheric Research [Boulder] (NCAR), Institute of Environmental Physics [Bremen] (IUP), University of Bremen, ICOS-ATC (ICOS-ATC), Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette] (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Exeter, Processus de la variabilité climatique tropicale et impacts (PARVATI), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), NCAS-Climate [Reading], Department of Meteorology [Reading], University of Reading (UOR)-University of Reading (UOR), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center [Bergen] (NERSC), Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), Dept. de la Tierra y Termodinámica, Universitat de València (UV), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Exeter Climate Systems, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636))

Subjects
Atmospheric Science, Earth observation, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Computer science, Process (engineering), media_common.quotation_subject, 0208 environmental biotechnology, Aerospace Engineering, [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph], 02 engineering and technology, Space (commercial competition), 01 natural sciences, Modelling, Earth system science, Lead (geology), Quality (business), Predictability, Observations, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, media_common, Committee on Space Research, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 15. Life on land, 020801 environmental engineering, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Systems engineering, General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Abstract

This report is the response to a request by the Committee on Space Research of the International Council for Science to prepare a roadmap on observation and integrated Earth-system science for the coming ten years. Its focus is on the combined use of observations and modelling to address the functioning, predictability and projected evolution of interacting components of the Earth system on timescales out to a century or so. It discusses how observations support integrated Earth-system science and its applications, and identifies planned enhancements to the contributing observing systems and other requirements for observations and their processing. All types of observation are considered, but emphasis is placed on those made from space.\ud \ud The origins and development of the integrated view of the Earth system are outlined, noting the interactions between the main components that lead to requirements for integrated science and modelling, and for the observations that guide and support them. What constitutes an Earth-system model is discussed. Summaries are given of key cycles within the Earth system.\ud \ud The nature of Earth observation and the arrangements for international coordination essential for effective operation of global observing systems are introduced. Instances are given of present types of observation, what is already on the roadmap for 2016–2025 and some of the issues to be faced. Observations that are organised on a systematic basis and observations that are made for process understanding and model development, or other research or demonstration purposes, are covered. Specific accounts are given for many of the variables of the Earth system.\ud \ud The current status and prospects for Earth-system modelling are summarized. The evolution towards applying Earth-system models for environmental monitoring and prediction as well as for climate simulation and projection is outlined. General aspects of the improvement of models, whether through refining the representations of processes that are already incorporated or through adding new processes or components, are discussed. Some important elements of Earth-system models are considered more fully.\ud \ud Data assimilation is discussed not only because it uses observations and models to generate datasets for monitoring the Earth system and for initiating and evaluating predictions, in particular through reanalysis, but also because of the feedback it provides on the quality of both the observations and the models employed. Inverse methods for surface-flux or model-parameter estimation are also covered. Reviews are given of the way observations and the processed datasets based on them are used for evaluating models, and of the combined use of observations and models for monitoring and interpreting the behaviour of the Earth system and for predicting and projecting its future.\ud \ud A set of concluding discussions covers general developmental needs, requirements for continuity of space-based observing systems, further long-term requirements for observations and other data, technological advances and data challenges, and the importance of enhanced international co-operation.

Published
2016
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3. Greenness in semi-arid areas across the globe 1981–2007 — an Earth Observing Satellite based analysis of trends and drivers

Author

José M. Paruelo, Jonathan Seaquist, Christian Schweitzer, Robert J. Scholes, Howard E. Epstein, Lennart Olsson, Ron Eastman, Anette Reenberg, Alberte Bondeau, Quang Bao Le, Konrad J Wessels, Ulf Helldén, Andrea E. Gaughan, Cheikh Mbow, Compton J. Tucker, Kjeld Rasmussen, Stephen D. Prince, Rasmus Fensholt, Tobias Langanke, Natural Resources and Environment, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Avignon Université (AU), and Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Limiting factor, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Otras Ciencias Biológicas, Soil Science, 010501 environmental sciences, 01 natural sciences, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Proxy (climate), Ciencias Biológicas, PHENOLOGY, medicine, Computers in Earth Sciences, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Remote sensing, Phenology, Geology, 15. Life on land, Seasonality, medicine.disease, Arid, AVHRR-NDVI, Geography, 13. Climate action, Climatology, Sustainability, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Land degradation, CIENCIAS NATURALES Y EXACTAS
Abstract

Semi-arid areas, defined as those areas of the world where water is an important limitation for plant growth, have become the subject of increased interest due to the impacts of current global changes and sustainability of human lifestyles. While many ground-based reports of declining vegetation productivity have been published over the last decades, a number of recent publications have shown a nuanced and, for some regions, positive picture. With this background, the paper provides an analysis of trends in vegetation greenness of semi-arid areas using AVHRR GIMMS from 1981 to 2007. The vegetation index dataset is used as a proxy for vegetation productivity and trends are analyzed for characterization of changes in semi-arid vegetation greenness. Calculated vegetation trends are analyzed with gridded data on potential climatic constraints to plant growth to explore possible causes of the observed changes. An analysis of changes in the seasonal variation of vegetation greenness and climatic drivers is conducted for selected regions to further understand the causes of observed inter-annual vegetation changes in semi-arid areas across the globe. It is concluded that semi-arid areas, across the globe, on average experience an increase in greenness (0.015 NDVI units over the period of analysis). Further it is observed that increases in greenness are found both in semi-arid areas where precipitation is the dominating limiting factor for plant production (0.019 NDVI units) and in semi-arid areas where air temperature is the primarily growth constraint (0.013 NDVI units). Finally, in the analysis of changes in the intra-annual variation of greenness it is found that seemingly similar increases in greenness over the study period may have widely different explanations. This implies that current generalizations, claiming that land degradation is ongoing in semi-arid areas worldwide, are not supported by the satellite based analysis of vegetation greenness. Fil: Fensholt, Rasmus. Universidad de Copenhagen; Dinamarca Fil: Langanke, Tobias. Universidad de Copenhagen; Dinamarca Fil: Rasmussen, Kjeld. Universidad de Copenhagen; Dinamarca Fil: Reenberg, Anette. Universidad de Copenhagen; Dinamarca Fil: Prince, Stephen D.. University of Maryland; Estados Unidos Fil: Tucker, Compton. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Goddart Institute for Space Studies; Estados Unidos Fil: Scholes, Robert J.. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; Sudáfrica Fil: Bao Le, Quang. Universitaet Bonn; Alemania. ETH Zurich; Suiza Fil: Bondeau, Alberte. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Alemania. Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d; Francia Fil: Eastman, Ron. Clark University; Estados Unidos Fil: Epstein, Howard. University of Virginia; Estados Unidos Fil: Gaughan, Andrea E.. University of Florida; Estados Unidos Fil: Hellden, Ulf. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Mbow, Cheikh. Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar; Senegal Fil: Olsson, Lennart. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Paruelo, José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina Fil: Schweitzer, Christian. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; Alemania Fil: Seaquist, Jonathan. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Wessels, Konrad. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; Sudáfrica

Published
2012
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4. What next for agriculture after durban?

Author

Tekalign Mamo, Molly Jahn, Robert J. Scholes, A. Fernández Bremauntz, Judi W. Wakhungu, E. Lin, N. Van Bo, D. J. B. Howlett, Marion Guillou, Christine Negra, John Beddington, Megan Clark, Carlos A. Nobre, Mohammed Asaduzzaman, Government Office of Science, Partenaires INRAE, Institute of Development Studies, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation [Canberra] (CSIRO), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Collège de Direction (CODIR), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), University of Leeds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), and African Centre for Technology Studies

Subjects
2. Zero hunger, Multidisciplinary, Food security, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, business.industry, [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio], 1. No poverty, Climate change, Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, 15. Life on land, 01 natural sciences, 6. Clean water, Agricultural economics, Extreme weather, 13. Climate action, Agriculture, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, Economics, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Food systems, Famine, Agricultural policy, business, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; Global agriculture must produce more food to feed a growing population. Yet scientific assessments point to climate change as a growing threat to agricultural yields and food security. Recent droughts and floods in the Horn of Africa, Russia, Pakistan, and Australia affected food production and prices. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that the frequency of such extreme weather events will increase, which, when combined with poverty, weak governance, conflict, and poor market access, can result in hunger and famine. At the same time, agriculture exacerbates climate change when greenhouse gases (GHGs) are released by land clearing, inappropriate fertilizer use, and other practices.

Published
2012
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5. Biodiversity and ecosystem services science for a sustainable planet: the DIVERSITAS vision for 2012–20

Author

Robert J. Scholes, Thomas Elmqvist, Mirjam M. Pulleman, Cornelia B. Krug, Sandra Díaz, Philippe Le Prestre, Anne Larigauderie, Lijbert Brussaard, Harold A. Mooney, Wolfgang Cramer, Hiroyuki Matsuda, Paul Leadley, Anantha Kumar Duraiappah, Belinda Reyers, Billie Turner, Louise E. Jackson, Anne Hélène Prieur-Richard, Eva Spehn, Peter Daszak, Georgina M. Mace, Tetsukazu Yahara, Eugene A. Rosa, Charles Perrings, Margaret A. Palmer, Daniel P. Faith, David Cooper, Mark Lonsdale, DIVERSITAS, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation [Canberra] (CSIRO), Institute for Soil Fertility, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information (CEA-LETI), Direction de Recherche Technologique (CEA) (DRT (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), EcoHlth Alliance, University of California [Davis] (UC Davis), University of California (UC), Ecologie Systématique et Evolution (ESE), Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (ENGREF)-Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen] (WUR), Natural Resources and Environment, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Center for asian conservation ecology, KyushuUniversity, University of California, and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Avignon Université (AU)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Ecological health, Ecology (disciplines), Biodiversity, Conservation, 010501 environmental sciences, 01 natural sciences, Article, Global Environmental Change, Ecosystem services, Ciencias Biológicas, purl.org/becyt/ford/1 [https], Aquatic biodiversity research, Life Science, purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 [https], Bodembiologie, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, General Environmental Science, 2. Zero hunger, Sustainable development, Strategic planning, Diversity, business.industry, Environmental resource management, General Social Sciences, Soil Biology, Ecología, Sustainable Development, 15. Life on land, PE&RC, [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society, 13. Climate action, business, CIENCIAS NATURALES Y EXACTAS
Abstract

DIVERSITAS, the international programme on biodiversity science, is releasing a strategic vision presenting scientific challenges for the next decade of research on biodiversity and ecosystem services: “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Science for a Sustainable Planet”. This new vision is a response of the biodiversity and ecosystem services scientific community to the accelerating loss of the components of biodiversity, as well as to changes in the biodiversity science-policy landscape (establishment of a Biodiversity Observing Network — GEO BON, of an Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services — IPBES, of the new Future Earth initiative; and release of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020). This article presents the vision and its core scientific challenges. Fil: Larigauderie, Anne. DIVERSITAS. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; Francia Fil: Prieur Richard, Anne Helene. DIVERSITAS. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; Francia Fil: Mace, Georgina. Imperial College London. Center for Population Biology; Reino Unido Fil: Londsdale, Mark. CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences; Australia Fil: Mooney, Harold A.. Stanford University. Department of Biological Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Brussaard, Lijbert. Wageningen University, Soil Quality Department; Países Bajos Fil: Cooper, David. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity; Canadá Fil: Wolfgang, Cramer. Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale; Francia Fil: Daszak, Peter. EcoHealth Alliance. Wildlife Trust; Estados Unidos Fil: Diaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Duraiappah, Anantha. International Human Dimensions Programme; Alemania Fil: Elmqvist, Thomas. University of Stockholm. Department of Systems Ecology and Stockholm Resilience Center; Suecia Fil: Faith, Daniel. The Australian Museum; Australia Fil: Jackson, Louise. University of California; Estados Unidos Fil: Krug, Cornelia. DIVERSITAS. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; Francia Fil: Leadley, Paul. Université Paris. Laboratoire Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Ecologie des Populations et Communautés; Francia Fil: Le Prestre, Philippe. Laval University; Canadá Fil: Matsuda, Hiroyuki. Yokohama National University; Japón Fil: Palmer, Margaret. University of Maryland; Estados Unidos Fil: Perrings, Charles. Arizona State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Pulleman, Mirjam. Wageningen University; Países Bajos Fil: Reyers, Belinda. Natural Resources and Environment; Sudáfrica Fil: Rosa, Eugene A.. Washington State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Scholes, Robert J.. Natural Resources and Environment; Sudáfrica Fil: Spehn, Eva. Universidad de Basilea; Suiza Fil: Turner II, B. L.. Arizona State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Yahara, Tetsukazu. Kyushu University; Japón

Published
2012
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6. The role for scientists in tackling food insecurity and climate change

Author

John Beddington, Christine Negra, Mohammed Asaduzzaman, Judi W. Wakhungu, Nguyen Van Bo, Adrian Fernández Bremauntz, Carlos A. Nobre, Megan Clark, Rita Sharma, Molly Jahn, Robert J. Scholes, Marion Guillou, Erda Lin, Tekalign Mamo, Government Office of Science, Partenaires INRAE, Institute of Development Studies, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation [Canberra] (CSIRO), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Collège de Direction (CODIR), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Ministère de l'agriculture, Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, National Advisory Council, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), African Centre for Technology Studies, and Negra, Christine

Subjects
Political economy of climate change, [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio], aliment, Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network, lcsh:TX341-641, 010501 environmental sciences, modèle, pattern, 01 natural sciences, scientists, 12. Responsible consumption, 11. Sustainability, Sustainable agriculture, Agricultural productivity, lcsh:Agriculture (General), food production, securité alimentaire, Environmental planning, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, agriculture, 2. Zero hunger, changement climatique, commission européenne, Food security, pratique, Ecology, business.industry, Environmental resource management, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, food security, 15. Life on land, lcsh:S1-972, practice, climate change, communauté scientifique, 13. Climate action, Sustainability, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, Food processing, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Food systems, business, Agronomy and Crop Science, lcsh:Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Food Science
Abstract

To adapt to climate change and ensure food security, major interventions are required to transform current patterns and practices of food production, distribution and consumption. The scientific community has an essential role to play in informing concurrent, strategic investments to establish climate-resilient agricultural production systems, minimize greenhouse gas emissions, make efficient use of resources, develop low-waste supply chains, ensure adequate nutrition, encourage healthy eating choices and develop a global knowledge system for sustainability. This paper outlines scientific contributions that will be essential to the seven policy recommendations for achieving food security in the context of climate change put forward by the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change. These include improved understanding of agriculture’s vulnerability to climate change, food price dynamics, food waste and consumption patterns and monitoring technologies as well as multidisciplinary investigation of regionally appropriate responses to climate change and food security challenges.

Published
2012
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7. Program on ecosystem change and society: an international research strategy for integrated social–ecological systems

Author

Wolfgang Cramer, Juan Carlos Castilla, Lisen Schultz, Albert V. Norström, Robert J. Scholes, Carl Folke, Stephen Polasky, Ruth DeFries, Patricia Balvanera, Bruce M. Campbell, Zainal Abidin Sanusi, Terry P. Hughes, Marja Spierenburg, Bina Agarwal, Pablo Eyzaguirre, Stephen R. Carpenter, Olof Olsson, Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), Delhi University, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad (IIES), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Department of Medicine and Neurology [University of Melbourne], University of Melbourne, Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Avignon Université (AU), Natural Resources and Environment, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, Organization Sciences, Network Institute, Organization & Processes of Organizing in Society (OPOS), Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México = National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

Subjects
Engineering, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Inequality, Ecology (disciplines), media_common.quotation_subject, 010501 environmental sciences, Ecological systems theory, 01 natural sciences, 12. Responsible consumption, 11. Sustainability, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, General Environmental Science, media_common, Scope (project management), Poverty, business.industry, Environmental resource management, 1. No poverty, General Social Sciences, Livelihood, [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society, SDG 1 - No Poverty, Stewardship, Natural capital, business
Abstract

The Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS), a new initiative within the ICSU global change programs, aims to integrate research on the stewardship of social-ecological systems, the services they generate, and the relationships among natural capital, human wellbeing, livelihoods, inequality and poverty. The vision of PECS is a world where human actions have transformed to achieve sustainable stewardship of social-ecological systems. The goal of PECS is to generate the scientific and policy-relevant knowledge of social-ecological dynamics needed to enable such a shift, including mitigation of poverty. PECS is a coordinating body for diverse independently funded research projects, not a funder of research. PECS research employs a range of transdisciplinary approaches and methods, with comparative, place-based research that is international in scope at the core. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Published
2012
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8. Biodiversity targets after 2010

Author

Margaret A. Palmer, Robert J. Scholes, James E. M. Watson, Wolfgang Cramer, Matt Walpole, Sandra Díaz, Harold A. Mooney, Charles Perrings, Bruno A. Walther, Daniel P. Faith, Philippe Le Prestre, Anne Larigauderie, Georgina M. Mace, Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Avignon Université (AU), Natural Resources and Environment, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Natural resource economics, Biodiversity, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Ecosystem services, Ciencias Biológicas, Momentum (finance), Order (exchange), Productivity, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, General Environmental Science, business.industry, Environmental resource management, General Social Sciences, CONSERVATION PRIORITIES, Ecología, 15. Life on land, Adaptive management, 13. Climate action, BIODIVERSITY, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, business, CIENCIAS NATURALES Y EXACTAS, Environmental indicator, Diversity (business)
Abstract

The bold commitment made by the world´s govermments to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 will soon be tested. On the basis of the continuing declines measured by most indicators, it now seems inevitable that the aoutcome will be that it has not been achieved. Here, in order to build on the momentum created by the 2010 target, we propose a shift away from a large set of static targets towards a smaller number of specific targets. Specifically, we present three categories of targets (red, green and blue) with examples of each. These relte respectively to (1) tose biodiversity outcomes that must be avoided to avert situations that are deleterious for people, (2) the highly valued biodiversity conservation priorities, and (3) an improved scientific understanding necessary for adaptive management now and into the future. Fil: Mace, Georgina M.. Imperial College London. Centre for Population Biology; Reino Unido Fil: Cramer, Wolfgang. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Alemania Fil: Diaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); Argentina; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Faith, Daniel. The Australian Museum; Australia Fil: Larigauderie, Anne. Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle. DIVERSITAS; Francia Fil: Le Preste, Philippe. Université Laval. Institut Hydro-Québec en environnement, développement et société; Canadá Fil: Palmer, Margaret. University of Maryland. Center for Environmental Science. Chesapeake Biological Lab; Estados Unidos Fil: Perrings, Charles. Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. ecoSERVICES Group; Estados Unidos Fil: Scholes, Robert J.. CSIR Natural Resources and Environment; Sudáfrica Fil: Walpole, Matt. UNEP-WCMC; Reino Unido Fil: Walther, Bruno A.. UNEP-WCMC; Reino Unido Fil: Watson, James E. M.. The University of Queensland. The Ecology Centre; Australia Fil: Mooney, Harold A.. Stanford University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos

Published
2010
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9. Long-term sunspot forcing of savanna structure inferred from carbon and oxygen isotopes

Author

Stephan Woodborne, Jean-Luc Mélice, Robert J. Scholes, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research [Pretoria] (CSIR), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)

Subjects
0303 health sciences, geography, Sunspot, geography.geographical_feature_category, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, δ13C, Meteorology, δ18O, [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph], Speleothem, Forcing (mathematics), Vegetation, 15. Life on land, Atmospheric sciences, 01 natural sciences, 03 medical and health sciences, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Isotopes of carbon, Dendrochronology, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental science, 030304 developmental biology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; We used the δ18O and δ13C isotopes from a speleothem and Δ14C values from known age tree rings as proxies for vegetation structure, rainfall and sunspot activity over the last 10,000 years. The δ18O and δ13C signals are significantly correlated and wavelet coherence analysis shows that a phase locked responses is only found to occur over periods less than 150 years. The δ13C and Δ14C signals are also significantly correlated but the wavelet coherence analysis shows phase locked responses at periods in the order of 320 and 1100 years at various times in the past. We conclude that savanna vegetation structure responds to rainfall over periods of decades to about 150 years, and to solar forcing over periods greater than 150 years. We propose that elevated UV-B radiation at the earth surface during periods of low sunspot activity favours the productivity of C4 plants over C3 plants possibly because of the metabolic cost of structural adaptive responses and of producing UV-B absorbing compounds in the latter.

Published
2008
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10. Determinants of woody cover in African savannas

Author

Alioune Diouf, Steven I. Higgins, Mahesh Sankaran, Feetham Banyikwa, Jonas Ardö, William B. Sea, Niall P. Hanan, Nick Zambatis, Xavier Le Roux, Susan Ringrose, Herbert H. T. Prins, Kelly K. Caylor, Andries Bronn, Jacques Gignoux, Jörg Tews, Gabriela Bucini, Pierre Hiernaux, Brian S. Cade, Halszka Hrabar, Christie J. Feral, Michael B. Coughenour, Jayashree Ratnam, David J. Augustine, Edmund C. February, Robert J. Scholes, Kristine L. Metzger, Jeff Worden, Peter G. H. Frost, Wellington N. Ekaya, Fulco Ludwig, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory [Fort Collins] (NREL), Colorado State University [Fort Collins] (CSU), Division of Forest Science and Technology, USDA Forest Service, Commanche National Grassland, US Geological Survey [Fort Collins], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Fonctionnement et évolution des systèmes écologiques (FESE), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Helmholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung = Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne - UMR 5557 (LEM), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon (ENVL)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), CSIRO Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation [Canberra] (CSIRO), Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science [Lund], Lund University [Lund], Department of Botany, University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Department of Agriculture and Game Management, Port Elizabeth Technikon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Centre de Suivi Ecologique [Dakar] (CSE), Department of Range Management, University of Nairobi (UoN), Environmental Sciences Department, University of Virginia, University of Cape Town, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Zimbabwe (UZ), Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère (CESBIO), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), University of Pretoria [South Africa], Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen] (WUR), Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Center, University of Botswana, Plant Ecology & Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam = Universität Potsdam, Scientific Services, Kruger National Park, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder [Boulder], United States Geological Survey [Reston] ( USGS ), Fonctionnement et évolution des systèmes écologiques ( FESE ), École normale supérieure - Paris ( ENS Paris ) -Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 ( UPMC ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig Halle, Sekt Okosyst Anal, Ecologie microbienne ( EM ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon ( ENVL ) -Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 ( UCBL ), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique ( INRA ) -VetAgro Sup ( VAS ), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation [Canberra] ( CSIRO ), Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis [Lund], University of Dar es Salaam ( UDSM ), Centre de Suivi Ecologique, University of Nairobi ( UoN ), University of Virginia [Charlottesville], University of Zimbabwe, Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère ( CESBIO ), Université Paul Sabatier - Toulouse 3 ( UPS ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées ( OMP ) -Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales ( CNES ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Mammal Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison [Madison], Wageningen University and Research Centre [Wageningen] ( WUR ), Potsdam University, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon (ENVL), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universität Potsdam, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Helmholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon (ENVL)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Wageningen University and Research Centre [Wageningen] (WUR)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Canopy, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, quantile regression, Rain, Biome, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, [SDV.BID]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity, Poaceae, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, [ SDV.EE ] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment, Trees, Soil, DISPONIBILITE D'ELEMENT NUTRITIF, vegetation, Animals, Ecosystem, Biomass, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, [ SDV.BID ] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity, [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment, Herbivore, [ SDE.BE ] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, mechanisms, Multidisciplinary, WIMEK, SUBTANCE NUTRITIVE, Ecology, FEU, Vegetation, 15. Life on land, stability, PE&RC, Arid, Wood, Geography, Disturbance (ecology), Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, ZONE SEMI-ARIDE, Africa, Plant cover, Plantenecologie en Natuurbeheer, systems, Desert Climate, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, fire, tree-grass coexistence
Abstract

Savannas are globally important ecosystems of great significance to human economies. In these biomes, which are characterized by the co-dominance of trees and grasses, woody cover is a chief determinant of ecosystem properties. The availability of resources (water, nutrients) and disturbance regimes (fire, herbivory) are thought to be important in regulating woody cover, but perceptions differ on which of these are the primary drivers of savanna structure. Here we show, using data from 854 sites across Africa, that maximum woody cover in savannas receiving a mean annual precipitation (MAP) of less than approximately 650 mm is constrained by, and increases linearly with, MAP. These arid and semi-arid savannas may be considered 'stable' systems in which water constrains woody cover and permits grasses to coexist, while fire, herbivory and soil properties interact to reduce woody cover below the MAP-controlled upper bound. Above a MAP of approximately 650 mm, savannas are 'unstable' systems in which MAP is sufficient for woody canopy closure, and disturbances (fire, herbivory) are required for the coexistence of trees and grass. These results provide insights into the nature of African savannas and suggest that future changes in precipitation may considerably affect their distribution and dynamics.

Published
2005
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11. Recent patterns and mechanisms of carbon exchange by terrestrial ecosystems

Author

Berrien Moore, Wolfgang Cramer, Christian Wirth, Richard A. Houghton, David S. Schimel, Alberte Bondeau, Daniel Murdiyarso, Ian R. Noble, Michael J. Apps, Philippe Ciais, David Baker, Will Steffen, Iain Colin Prentice, Christopher B. Field, Stephen W. Pacala, Philippe Bousquet, Philippe Peylin, A. S. Denning, Galina Churkina, Christine L. Goodale, Bobby H. Braswell, Martin Heimann, Joanna Isobel House, Michael R. Raupach, Robert J. Scholes, K. Hibbard, Jerry M. Melillo, Josep G. Canadell, Peter Rayner, Pierre Friedlingstein, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, University of New Hampshire (UNH), Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette] (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Modélisation INVerse pour les mesures atmosphériques et SATellitaires (SATINV), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ICOS-ATC (ICOS-ATC), MOSAIC (MOSAIC), Institut FRESNEL (FRESNEL), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-École Centrale de Marseille (ECM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-École Centrale de Marseille (ECM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Canadian Forest Service Northern Forestry Center, AUTRES, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), GCTE International Project Office, Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung = Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Colorado State University [Fort Collins] (CSU), Carnegie Institution of Washington, University of Exeter, Woods Hole Research Center, Partenaires INRAE, Marine Biological Laboratory Massachussetts USA, GCTE Impacts Center for Southeast Asia, Australian National University (ANU), Princeton University, CSIRO Division of Land and Water, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École Centrale de Marseille (ECM)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École Centrale de Marseille (ECM)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU), and Exeter Climate Systems, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Earth science, Atmospheric carbon cycle, 01 natural sciences, Sink (geography), Carbon cycle, chemistry.chemical_compound, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, geography, Multidisciplinary, geography.geographical_feature_category, Ecology, Carbon sink, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, 15. Life on land, chemistry, 13. Climate action, Carbon dioxide, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Environmental science, Permafrost carbon cycle, Terrestrial ecosystem
Abstract

International audience; Knowledge of carbon exchange between the atmosphere, land and the oceans is important, given that the terrestrial and marine environments are currently absorbing about half of the carbon dioxide that is emitted by fossil-fuel combustion. This carbon uptake is therefore limiting the extent of atmospheric and climatic change, but its long-term nature remains uncertain. Here we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge of global and regional patterns of carbon exchange by terrestrial ecosystems. Atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen data confirm that the terrestrial biosphere was largely neutral with respect to net carbon exchange during the 1980s, but became a net carbon sink in the 1990s. This recent sink can be largely attributed to northern extratropical areas, and is roughly split between North America and Eurasia. Tropical land areas, however, were approximately in balance with respect to carbon exchange, implying a carbon sink that offset emissions due to tropical deforestation. The evolution of the terrestrial carbon sink is largely the result of changes in land use over time, such as regrowth on abandoned agricultural land and fire prevention, in addition to responses to environmental changes, such as longer growing seasons, and fertilization by carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Nevertheless, there remain considerable uncertainties as to the magnitude of the sink in different regions and the contribution of different processes.

Published
2001
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