Savanna ecosystem structure and productivity along a rainfall gradient: the role of competition and stress tolerance mediated by plant functional traits

Paudel, Prashant; Olin, Stefan; Tjoelker, Mark; Pontarp, Mikael; Metcalfe, Daniel; Smith, Benjamin

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6153-2025

Articles | Volume 22, issue 20

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6153-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6153-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 20

Research article

|

28 Oct 2025

Research article |

| 28 Oct 2025

Savanna ecosystem structure and productivity along a rainfall gradient: the role of competition and stress tolerance mediated by plant functional traits

Prashant Paudel, Stefan Olin, Mark Tjoelker, Mikael Pontarp, Daniel Metcalfe, and Benjamin Smith

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6153-2025-supplement

Data sets

Forcing_data_and_model_output_for_Savanna ecosystem_northern_Australia Prashant Paudel et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17034489

AusTraits: a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora D. Falster et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7368074

Model code and software

LPJ-GUESS Model Code for Savanna Ecosystem of Northern Australia Prashant Paudel et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17081548

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Short summary

Ecological processes respond to changes in rainfall conditions. Competition and stress created by water availability are two primary components at two ends of the rainfall gradient. In wetter areas, plants compete for resources, while in drier regions, stress limits growth. The complex interaction between plant characters and their response to growth conditions governs ecosystem processes. These findings can be used to understand how future rainfall changes could impact ecosystems.