Research Interests:
My research focuses primarily
on the ecology of tropical savannas and forests, with special emphasis on
the Cerrado region of central Brazil. I am primarily interested in
understanding the causes of variations in tree density in tropical
savannas and the consequences of land-use change on regional
climate. Current projects involve comparative ecology of savanna
and forest trees, fire ecology, and land-atmosphere interactions.
These projects involve a range of approaches, including ecophysiology,
population dynamics, remote sensing and GCM climate modelling.
Selected
Publications:
Hoffmann, W.A., R. Adasme, M. Haridasan,
M. Carvalho, E. L. Geiger, M. A. B. Pereira, S. G. Gotsch, and A. C.
Franco (2009). Tree
topkill, not mortality, governs the dynamics of alternate stable states
at savanna-forest boundaries under frequent fire in central Brazil. Ecology,
in press
Hao,
G.-Y. Hoffmann, W.A. Scholz, F.G. Bucci, S.J. Meinzer, F.C. Franco, A.C.
Cao, K.-F. Goldstein, G. (2008) Stem and leaf hydraulics of
congeneric tree species from adjacent tropical savanna and forest
ecosystems. Oecologia 155:405-415.
Hoffmann,
W.A., Orthen, B. and Franco, A.C. 2004. Constraints to seedling success of savanna and
forest trees across the savanna-forest boundary.
Oecologia 140:252-260.
Hoffmann,
W.A., W. Schroeder and R.B. Jackson. Regional feedbacks among climate, fire, and
tropical deforestation. Journal of Geophysical Research –
Atmospheres, 108, DOI:2003JD003494
Hoffmann,
W. A. and R.B. Jackson. 2000. Vegetation-climate
feedbacks in the conversion of tropical savanna to grassland.
Journal of Climate 13:1593-1602.
Hoffmann,
W. A. 1999. Fire
and population dynamics of woody plants in a Neotropical savanna: matrix
model predictions. Ecology 80:1354-1369.
Complete Publication List
