Why do different plant communities occur in different places?

What is it about?

We investigate why different plant communities occur in different parts of the landscape. For instance, what causes savanna species to grow in certain places but not others? Why do grasslands not have savanna tree species growing in them? Are these patterns created by environmental drivers and if so, which are the important drivers? These are important questions to answer for conservation planning purposes.

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Why is it important?

If there is a correlation between environmental gradients and floristic composition and therefore pattern, what will climate change implications be? How are plant communities likely respond to changes in climate and how should we plan for those changes? Can we leave it up to nature or will we have to intervene?