African floristics: savannas and woodlands
© Andy Plumptre
Scientists from Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech - ULiège and several international collaborators have just published the first continental study of the floristic composition of African savannas and woodlands in a prestigious biogeography journal.
Based on a compilation of existing data, specifically lists of tree and shrub species present in nearly 300 savanna and/or woodland sites distributed throughout Africa, Adeline FAYOLLE, Mike SWAINE and their collaborators, highlighted an important floristic discontinuity between northern and western savannas (Sudano-Guinean savannas sensu White) and southern and eastern savannas and woodlands (including Miombo woodland). This floristic discontinuity corresponds to White's division of Africa based on climate and topography. Indeed, the savannas of the South and East are located at higher altitudes (> 1000 m) and experience colder climates, with the exception of coastal areas, than the savannas of the North and West. Within the continent, this discontinuity corresponds to the Albertine Rift, as shown in an earlier study by Adeline FAYOLLE, Mike SWAINE and other collaborators, on the floristic composition of tropical forests, published in 2014 in the same journal...
read the article "Patterns of tree species composition across tropical African forests"
In the northern and western savannas, a floristic gradient determined by rainfall contrasts the Sudanian savannas (drier) with the Guinean savannas (more mesic). Within the much more heterogeneous savannas and woodlands of the South and East, a total of 6 floristic clusters have been identified: Ugandan, Ethiopian, Mozambican, Zambian, Namibian, and South African savannas. These completely new results on the diversity and biogeography of African savannas - which correspond to the largest extent of savannas in the world, hosting more than 1 billion people - have practical applications for the management and conservation of African savannas. The proposed classification could help in the development of coordinated strategies and policies.
