Savanna Tree Trait Responses to CO2, Water Stress, and Grass Competition in South Africa

South African data provides physiological, morphological, and functional trait measurements for twelve African savanna tree species from the Vachellia and Senegalia genera. The dataset compares six encroaching and six non-encroaching species under factorial treatments of elevated CO2, water availability, and grass competition. Measurements were derived from saplings grown for 11 months in open-top chambers at the Rhodes University Elevated CO2 Facility in Makhanda.

Use Cases

• Compare physiological and morphological trait responses between six encroaching and six non-encroaching tree species to identify traits facilitating encroachment.
• Analyze sapling performance under factorial treatments of elevated CO2 versus ambient CO2 and well-watered versus water-limited conditions.
• Model the impact of grass competition from Themeda triandra on functional traits of savanna tree saplings.
• Assess interactions between environmental factors like atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, water availability, and interspecific competition on plant performance.

Strengths

• Includes data for twelve distinct tree species, enabling comparative analysis.
• Treatments applied in a controlled factorial design combining CO2, water, and competition variables.
• Measurements derived from an 11-month growth experiment in open-top chambers with local savanna soil.

Limitations

• Data is embargoed and unavailable for public use until January 4, 2027.
• Sample size, row count, and specific column variables are not disclosed in the input.
• Scope is limited to saplings in a controlled pot experiment, not mature trees in natural field conditions.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre.

Collection Method

Measurements from saplings grown for 11 months in large pots within open-top chambers, culminating in physiological assessments and destructive harvesting for morphological analysis.

Time Range

2022.

Freshness

Data was last updated in March 2026, but the underlying experimental measurements are from 2022.

Geography

Rhodes University Elevated CO2 Facility, Makhanda, South Africa.