The Journal of Land Use Science is devoting a special issue to the topic of "Natural and Anthropogenic Change and Global Savanna Ecosystems: Impacts and Responses".
All potential contributors from the global ecological community interested in savannas and the changes they are facing are invited to submit manuscripts for inclusion. The detailed description of the Special Issue is included below.. The deadline for submission is October 15, 2014. Submissions must be made through the ScholarOne interface for Taylor and Francis Journals: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tlus and must identify the Special issue and Guest Editors. We look forward to seeing your submissions. Michael J. Hill Professor Department of Earth System Science and Policy University of North Dakota Clifford Hall, 9011 4149 University Drive Grand Forks, ND, 58202 USA Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Phone: 701-777-6071 Dr. Jane Southworth Professor Department of Geography Land Use & Environmental Change Institute (LUECI) Florida Climate Institute (FCI) University of Florida TUR 3141, Gainesville, FL 32611 Phone: 352 392-0494 Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Announcement Special Issue of Journal of Land Use Science Natural and Anthropogenic Change and Global Savanna Ecosystems: Impacts and Responses Guest Editors Dr Michael J. Hill University of North Dakota, USA Dr Jane Southworth University of Florida, USA This special issue will consist of papers which address impacts and response associated with both natural and anthropogenic change in savanna ecosystems. The special issue will focus on the effects of change in climate and land cover and land use on the biophysical and socio-economic function of current and converted savanna lands. Submissions may integrate spatial, temporal and in-situ biophysical process. Consideration of hydrological, biophysical, vegetation, geochemical, economic and social change in a land use science context is preferred. The editors seek a comprehensive coverage of major savanna systems across Africa, South America and Australia as well as smaller systems in North America and Asia. Representation of major savannas such as the cerrado and llanos in South America and the West, East and Southern African savannas is desirable. Examples of suitable topics include climate change impacts, effects of major land use change such as cropping or plantation forestry, impacts of shifting cultivation, impacts of mining, impacts of changes in resource availability such as water, wood and game, and socio-economic changes driven by land system changes. Overview Savannas are multi-layered tree-grass-forb systems with enormous diversity of structure and arrangement, and complex ecosystem functions dependent upon highly seasonal climates. They have received considerable attention from researchers on their ecology and physiology, their overall dynamics particularly measured with remote sensing, and their evolution and stability in relation to fire. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the large biome-scale tropical savannas have undergone major conversion to extensive and intensive cattle production, and intensive cropping for food and biofuel production. Smaller savanna ecosystems such as oak savannas in North America have become rare, whilst new savannas such as the mesquite-lovegrass associations in the US southwest have emerged. This has coincided with the discovery of major potential for future climate change. In the 21st century further major conversions of tropical savannas are projected along with further spread and impact of invasive species associated with the globalization of organisms. In spite of the manifest importance of the huge savanna biome in Earth system function, savannas are not receiving the required, focused attention from either the research or policy communities. The tree-grass structure is poorly represented in land surface models that support climate simulations, and understanding of the consequences of conversion from these tree-grass systems to exotic tree plantations, annual cropping systems or complete removal in mining operations is lacking. It is clear that the land science community can make a major contribution to the understanding of the consequences of these changes by integrating land change science with biophysical understanding. Such major changes in vegetation structure must influence hydrology, the carbon cycle, soil formation and conservation, and mass flows of nutrients. These changes influence the ways that human agricultural and economic systems respond, including fluctuations in productivity, and requirement for renovation, amelioration or restoration with consequent impact on livelihoods and human well-being. With this special issue, the editors seek to highlight these issues for the global savanna biome and drive a conversation with the managers of the global research program Future Earth to make sure that savanna change is explicitly represented and treated in the new global initiatives. In addition we seek to promote a sense of a global research community concerned with tree-grass systems, the changes they have undergone and face in future, and the importance of integrating land change science with the biophysical process understanding and modeling in order to project impacts and support precautionary land policies. Manuscript submissions will be handled through the ScholarOne interface for Taylor and Francis Journals: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tlus Please make sure to identify the Special Issue and the Guest Editors in the form during your uploading process. Manuscripts must conform to the Instructions for Authors provided at the JLUS website http://www.tandfonline.com/ In the event that the number of excellent submissions exceeds the capacity of the Special Issue, the Guest Editors will choose accepted submissions that provide the best composition for the Special Issue. Accepted manuscripts not selected for the Special Issue will be published in subsequent issues. In order to provide the opportunity for preparation of excellent manuscripts, the final deadline for submission is October 15 2014.
