Forb ecology research in dry African savannas: Knowledge, gaps, and future perspectives.

ABSTRACT: Savannas are commonly described as a vegetation type with a grass layer interspersed with a discontinuous tree or shrub layer. On the contrary, forbs, a plant life form that can include any nongraminoid herbaceous vascular plant, are poorly represented in definitions of savannas worldwide. While forbs have been acknowledged as a diverse component of the herbaceous layer in savanna ecosystems and valued for the ecosystem services and functions they provide, they have not been the primary focus in most savanna vegetation studies. We performed a systematic review of scientific literature to establish the extent to which forbs are implicitly or explicitly considered as a discrete vegetation component in savanna research. The overall aims were to summarize knowledge on forb ecology, identify kn

SUBMITTER: Siebert F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6635924 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature