For a fuller description of the paper itself, go to the end of this web page.
Each simulation published in this paper corresponds to a unique 5 or 6 character code on the web pages.
The following table lists the name of the simulation as used in the paper, and the corresponding code name
The webpage gives you the ability to examine the published simulations, but you can also download the raw (netcdf) files to perform your own analysis. Detailed instructions on how to use the webpages and access the data can be found here: Using_BRIDGE_webpages.pdf
There are three simulations used in this paper, all for the late Miocene, but using different CO2 levels
You can have make you own analysis and plots by going here
| Simulation Name as in Paper | Simulation name on web pages |
|---|---|
| 180 p.p.m. [CO2]a | tcztj |
| 280 p.p.m. [CO2]a | tczth |
| 400 p.p.m. [CO2]a | tczti |
This paper suggests that fire was a crucial driver for the expansion of C4 vegetation during the late Miocene
| Name | Scheiter et al |
|---|---|
| Brief Description | This paper suggests that fire was a crucial driver for the expansion of C4 vegetation during the late Miocene |
| Full Author List | Simon Scheiter, Steven I. Higgins, Colin P. Osborne, Catherine Bradshaw, Dan Lunt, Brad S. Ripley, Lyla L. Taylor, David J. Beerling |
| Title | Fire and fire-adapted vegetation promoted C4 expansion in the late Miocene |
| Year | 2012 |
| Journal | New Phytologist |
| Volume | 193 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 653-666 |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04202.x |
| Contact's Name | Catherine Bradshaw |
| Contact's email | C.Bradshaw@bristol.ac.uk |
| Abstract | Large proportions of the Earth's land surface are covered by biomes dominated by C(4) grasses. These C(4)-dominated biomes originated during the late Miocene, 3-8 million years ago (Ma), but there is evidence that C(4) grasses evolved some 20 Ma earlier during the early Miocene/Oligocene. Explanations for this lag between evolution and expansion invoke changes in atmospheric CO(2), seasonality of climate and fire. However, there is still no consensus about which of these factors triggered C(4) grassland expansion. We use a vegetation model, the adaptive dynamic global vegetation model (aDGVM), to test how CO(2), temperature, precipitation, fire and the tolerance of vegetation to fire influence C(4) grassland expansion. Simulations are forced with late Miocene climates generated with the Hadley Centre coupled ocean-atmosphere-vegetation general circulation model. We show that physiological differences between the C(3) and C(4) photosynthetic pathways cannot explain C(4) grass invasion into forests, but that fire is a crucial driver. Fire-promoting plant traits serve to expand the climate space in which C(4)-dominated biomes can persist. We propose that three mechanisms were involved in C(4) expansion: the physiological advantage of C(4) grasses under low atmospheric CO(2) allowed them to invade C(3) grasslands; fire allowed grasses to invade forests; and the evolution of fire-resistant savanna trees expanded the climate space that savannas can invade. |