SUPPORTING INFORMATION Stable forest–savanna mosaic in north-western Tanzania: local-scale evidence from δ13C signatures and 14C ages of soil fractions Daniel B. Wiedemeier, Urs Bloesch and Frank Hagedorn Journal of Biogeography Appendix S1 (a) Typical plant species in the Kagoma landscape and their cover-abundance as determined by the Braun-Blanquet method. Vegetation type Species Plant life form Cover-abundance value (Braun-Blanquet, 1932) Savanna Crossopteryx febrifuga Loudetia simplex Hyparrhenia newtonii Securidaca longipedunculata shrub/tree perennial grass perennial grass shrub/tree + 3 (4) 3 (4) + Forest–savanna ecotone Ancylobothrys amoena Baikiaea insignis subsp. minor Coptosperma graveolens Cassipourea ruwensorensis Psydrax schimperiana Englerophytum natalense liana/shrub tree tree small tree tree shrub 1 (2) 2 2 1 (2) 2 2 shrub 2 (3) tree tree small tree herb 2 (3) 2 2 2 (3) Forest Argomuellera macrophylla Drypetes gerrardii var. tomentosa Rawsonia lucida Teclea nobilis Mellera lobulata Braun-Blanquet scale: 5: Any number, with cover more than ¾ of the reference area (> 75 %) 4: Any number, with cover ½ - ¾ cover (50-75 %) 3: Any number, with cover ¼ - ½ cover (25-50 %) 2: Any number, with cover 1/20 - ¼ cover (5-25 %) 1: Numerous, but less than 1/20 cover, or scattered, with cover up to 1/20 (5 %) "+": Few, with small cover REFERENCE Braun-Blanquet, J. (1932) Plant sociology: the study of plant communities (translated by G.D. Fuller and H.S. Conard). McGraw-Hill, New York. Appendix S1 (b) Photographs taken from the savanna towards the forest. Note the very sharp transition between these ecosystems. The short and sparse grass vegetation in the savanna indicates that it experienced a recent fire. Appendix S2 The bulk SOM isotopic signatures of the upper and deeper soil horizons along the transect. Note the sharp transition in the ecotone where the δ13C values change completely within 10 metres. Isotope results are reported in conventional δ notation as per mil relative to the carbon isotopic ratio of the VPDB standard (Fry, 2006). Appendix S3 14C measurements table with the 14C contents, uncalibrated and calibrated 14C ages of samples (Stuiver & Pollach, 1977; Bronk Ramsey, 2001). AMS, accelerator mass spectrometry; soilLF, free light fraction; DF, dense fraction. Site Depth Fraction F3 60cm DF recalcitrantDF SE1 60cm soilLF DF huminDF recalcitrantDF Lab code ETH-38738 ETH-38739 ETH-38740 ETH-38741 ETH-38742 ETH-38743 Calibrated age (rounded median) 14 [cal. C yr BP] Calibrated age 1300 5500 modern 1200 1850 7500 1281 ± 44 5488 ± 76 modern 1204 ± 57 1840 ± 55 7477 ± 54 14 [cal. C yr BP] 14 C years BP 14 14 C [ C yr BP] [% modern C] 1340 4745 -610 1270 1900 6565 84.03 55.00 107.12 84.77 78.38 43.85 REFERENCES Bronk Ramsey, C. (2001) Development of the radiocarbon program OxCal. Radiocarbon, 43, 355-363. Stuiver, M. & Pollach, H. A. (1977) Discussion: reporting of 14C data. Radiocarbon, 19, 355-363. AMS ± ± ± ± ± ± 35 40 35 35 40 40 ± ± ± ± ± ± 0.37 0.27 0.47 0.37 0.39 0.22 View publication stats