Ecohydrological Concepts of Water-Vegetation Interaction in the Drylands of Africa
Ecohydrological Concepts of Water-Vegetation Interaction in the Drylands of Africa
- A. Johannes Dolman, A. Johannes DolmanVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Luis U. Vilasa-AbadLuis U. Vilasa-AbadVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- and Thomas A. J. JanssenThomas A. J. JanssenVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Summary
Drylands cover around 40% of the land surface on Earth and are inhabited by more than 2 billion people, who are directly dependent on these lands. Drylands are characterized by a highly variable rainfall regime and inherent vegetation-climate feedbacks that can enhance the resilience of the system, but also can amplify disturbances. In that way, the system may get locked into two alternate stable states: one relatively wet and vegetated, and the other dry and barren. The resilience of dryland ecosystems derives from a number of adaptive mechanisms by which the vegetation copes with prolonged water stress, such as hydraulic redistribution. The stochastic nature of both the vegetation dynamics and the rainfall regime is a key characteristic of these systems and affects its management in relation to the feedbacks. How the ecohydrology of the African drylands will change in the future depends on further changes in climate, human disturbances, land use, and the socioeconomic system.
Keywords
Subjects
- Hydrological Cycle
- Climate Systems and Climate Dynamics
- Climate of Africa
