Impacts of shrub encroachment on ecosystem structure and functioning: towards a global synthesis

Impacts of shrub encroachment on ecosystem structure and functioning: towards a global synthesis.

Encroachment of woody plants into grasslands has generated considerable interest among ecologists. Syntheses of encroachment effects on ecosystem processes have been limited in extent and confined largely to pastoral land uses or particular geographical regions. We used univariate analyses, meta-analysis and structural equation modelling to test the propositions that (1) shrub encroachment does...

A multifaceted view on the impacts of shrub encroachment.

Shrub encroachment, a global phenomenon with management implications, is examined in two papers in the current issue of Applied Vegetation Science. Barbosa da Silva et al. show that encroachment simplifies herbaceous community, and Pittarello et al. illustrate how pastoral practices can restore encroached grasslands. While detrimental effects of shrub encroachment on grassland vegetation are of...

Grazing dampens the positive effects of shrub encroachment on ecosystem functions in a semiarid woodland

encroachment on ecosystem functions in a semi-arid woodland David J. Eldridge*, Santiago Soliveres, Matthew A. Bowker and James Val Office of Environment and Heritage, c/o Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; Departamento de Biolog ıa y Geolog ıa, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Ex...

Anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity: a network structure and ecosystem functioning perspective.

Huge areas of diverse tropical forest are lost or degraded every year with dramatic consequences for biodiversity. Deforestation and fragmentation, over-exploitation, invasive species and climate change are the main drivers of tropical forest biodiversity loss. Most studies investigating these threats have focused on changes in species richness or species diversity. However, if we are to unders...

Mechanisms of Native Shrub Encroachment on a Virginia Barrier Island