title: Tropical grassy biomes: misunderstood, neglected, and under threat.
abstract: Tropical grassy biomes (TGBs) are globally extensive, provide critical ecosystem services, and influence the earth-atmosphere system. Yet, globally applied biome definitions ignore vegetation characteristics that are critical to their functioning and evolutionary history. Hence, TGB identification is inconsistent and misinterprets the ecological processes governing vegetation structure, with cascading negative consequences for biodiversity. Here, we discuss threats linked to the definition of TGB, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation schemes (REDD+), and enhanced atmospheric CO2, which may facilitate future state shifts. TGB degradation is insidious and less visible than in forested biomes. With human reliance on TGBs and their propensity for woody change, ecology and evolutionary history are fundamental to not only the identification of TGBs, but also their management for future persistence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP, UK. Electronic address: kate.parr@liverpool.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Catherine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Parr
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia; School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, UK.
authors.forename: Caroline E R
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Ecosystem Science, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, PMB 44, Winnellie, NT 0822, Australia.
authors.forename: Alan N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D065928:Forests; D006109:Poaceae; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: CDM; REDD+; atmospheric CO(2); biome shift; forest; grassland; savanna