Lehmann Caroline E R, Parr Catherine L
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016 Sep 19;371(1703). doi: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0329.
Tropical grassy biomes (TGBs) are changing rapidly the world over through a coalescence of high rates of land-use change, global change and altered disturbance regimes that maintain the ecosystem structure and function of these biomes. Our theme issue brings together the latest research examining the characterization, complex ecology, drivers of change, and human use and ecosystem services of TGBs. Recent advances in ecology and evolution have facilitated a new perspective on these biomes. However, there continues to be controversies over their classification and state dynamics that demonstrate critical data and knowledge gaps in our quantitative understanding of these geographically dispersed regions. We highlight an urgent need to improve ecological understanding in order to effectively predict the sensitivity and resilience of TGBs under future scenarios of global change. With human reliance on TGBs increasing and their propensity for change, ecological and evolutionary understanding of these biomes is central to the dual goals of sustaining their ecological integrity and the diverse services these landscapes provide to millions of people.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation'.
热带草原生物群落（TGBs）正在全球范围内迅速变化，这是由于土地利用变化率高、全球变化以及维持这些生物群落生态系统结构和功能的干扰机制改变共同作用的结果。我们的专题汇集了最新研究，探讨热带草原生物群落的特征、复杂生态、变化驱动因素以及人类利用和生态系统服务。生态学和进化领域的最新进展为这些生物群落带来了新的视角。然而，关于它们的分类和状态动态仍存在争议，这表明我们在对这些地理上分散的区域进行定量理解方面存在关键的数据和知识空白。我们强调迫切需要增进生态理解，以便有效预测热带草原生物群落在未来全球变化情景下的敏感性和恢复力。随着人类对热带草原生物群落的依赖增加以及它们变化的倾向，对这些生物群落的生态和进化理解对于维持其生态完整性以及这些景观为数百万人提供的多样服务这两个双重目标至关重要。本文是“热带草原生物群落：连接生态、人类利用与保护”专题的一部分。
