Canopy phenology of some mopane and miombo woodlands in eastern Zambia

rains. Plateau miombo exhibited the lowest range of seasonality in the tree layer, ranging from about Measurements of tree canopy closure and field-layer 40% to 60% closure over one complete seasonal reflectance were made in a series of plots in protected cycle. Phenology of the field layer, expressed as areas of eastern Zambia as part of a multiyear study the normalized diVerence vegetation index (NDVI), of savanna woodlands. The plots were located in closely followed that of the tree layer, although the the Luangwa Valley and adjacent plateaux, which field layer senesced earlier than trees, especially in contained a range of vegetation types found in plots with relatively low tree canopy closure. The southern Africa. The vegetation consisted of four relationship between tree-canopy closure and fieldbroad types: 1. plateau miombo woodland; layer NDVI was positive and statistically significant 2. valley miombo woodland; 3. scrub miombo for all sites of the study area, which suggests that woodland; and 4. scrub and woodland mopane. woody biomass and herbaceous biomass are related Hemispherical photographs of the tree layer positively in these savanna woodland ecosystems. provided measurements of tree canopy phenology in the diVerent vegetation plots. The most seasonal Key words. Canopy phenology, Zambezian woodlands, mopane woodland, miombo woodland, woodland type was mopane, where tree canopy closure ranged from about 15% at the end of the hemispherical photography, NDVI, Luangwa Valley, tree‐grass interactions. dry season to just over 60% during the peak of the