biological sciences 5
B I O L O G I C A L S C I E N C E S
the way in which people and society draw tools and approaches to assess the impacts.
benefits from biodiversity in its broadest Nevertheless, South African findings are
sense. However, there is much yet to be among the international forefront on is-
learned about the complex effects that cli- sues such as the ecosystem-level impacts
mate change is having, and will continue of changing fire regimes, understanding of
to have, to the biological basis for human the role of atmospheric CO
2
on ecosystem
well-being. structure and function, and experimenta-
tion and monitoring in extreme environ-
Essentially, there are three main areas of ments such as warm deserts and sub-Ant-
immediate and significant biosciences-re- arctic Islands.
lated interest with regard to the ongoing
and potential impacts of climate change. Ecological research in savannas and
These are: first, the biological basis for food grasslands
security, and other direct-use benefits of Attention has been paid to most of the bi-
biological diversity; second, the ecosystem omes of South Africa, including the fynbos,
services that flow from managed, semi- the Eastern Cape thickets, the diminishing
managed and unmanaged ecosystems, and forests and the sub-Antarctic islands. How-
how these might be used to adapt to, or ever, particular attention is paid here to
even assist in mitigating actions to reduce savannas and related grasslands because
the adverse effects of climate change; and of the extent of their spread in Africa, and
third, the biodiversity assets that exist in the their importance to the livelihoods of mil-
country, and their conservation as a store of lions of people.
potential value for future generations.
Some of the reasons for this focus are that
The development of this field of enquiry in these biomes are among the youngest on
South Africa is not insubstantial, but is un- the planet; the dominant grasses have the
evenly spread across the biological sciences C4 pathway; and these biomes are par-
as a whole. There has been surprisingly lit- ticularly susceptible to increases in atmos-
tle exploration of the food security and pheric CO
2
. C4 grasses have photosynthetic
direct-use benefits issue, while ecosystem advantages over their C3 relatives at low
services are only now starting to emerge atmospheric CO
2
levels and where growing
as a growing focus of research attention. season temperatures are warm to hot. They
Most advances have been made through flourished under the extremely low atmos-
the engagement of several South African pheric CO
2
(~200 ppm) of the last glacial
scientists and institutions in studies of how period but are expected to lose their photo-
biodiversity assets might be affected by cli- synthetic advantage over C3 grasses in the
mate change. Unfortunately, few definite next few decades if CO
2
emissions continue
conclusions can yet be drawn due to the on their current trajectory.
large uncertainty that exists, first in the rate
and extent of climate change projected for Global vegetation models suggest that
the country, and second, due to inadequate grasslands and savannas occur in regions
143
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