Carnegie airborne observatory

Assessment of the mapping of fractional woody cover in southern African savannas using multi-temporal and polarimetric ALOS PALSAR L-band images

Woody vegetation cover affects several ecosystem processes including carbon and water cycling, energy fluxes, and fire regimes. In order to understand the dynamics of savanna ecosystems, information on the spatial distribution of woody vegetation …

Habitat differences do not explain population declines of sable antelope in an African savanna

Sable antelope, Hippotragus niger, populations have declined substantially in Kruger National Park, South Africa despite large-area protection from land use and poaching. Since Africa's large mammal populations are restricted to protected areas, …

Landscape-scale variation in plant community composition of an African savanna from airborne species mapping

Information on landscape-scale patterns in species distributions and community types is vital for ecological science and effective conservation assessment and planning. However, detailed maps of plant community structure at landscape scales seldom …

Landscape-scale effects of herbivores on treefall in African savannas

Herbivores cause treefalls in African savannas, but rates are unknown at large scales required to forecast changes in biodiversity and ecosystem processes. We combined landscape-scale herbivore exclosures with repeat airborne Light Detection and …

The relative influence of fire and herbivory on savanna three-dimensional vegetation structure

The relative importance of fire and herbivory on vegetation structure has been the subject of much debate in savanna ecology. Fire regime and herbivore numbers are two key variables that managers of protected areas can manipulate to meet their …