Bioscience Evidence 2024, Vol.14, No.2, 69-80 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 71 climatic factors. For instance, in the North Australian Tropical Transect (NATT), GPP decreases dramatically with reduced precipitation, highlighting the sensitivity of these ecosystems to hydroclimatic variability (Muumbe et al., 2021). Remote sensing models have been effective in estimating GPP, with the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM) showing the best performance in capturing seasonal dynamics in a mixed woodland-grassland savanna (Martens et al., 2020). Figure 1 Climatic suitability surfaces for major plant growth forms (Adopted from Higgins et al., 2023) Image caption: Suitability is the averaged suitability scores of the species belonging to each growth form (Adopted from Higgins et al., 2023) 3.2 Energy transfer efficiency Energy transfer efficiency in savanna ecosystems involves the conversion of energy from one trophic level to the next. This process is characterized by significant losses, primarily due to metabolic processes and heat dissipation. The efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels is typically low, with only a small fraction of the energy being passed on to the next level. In headwater streams of the Brazilian Savanna, secondary production estimates have shown that detrital pathways account for most energy flow, with gatherers, shredders, and predators being the most important contributors to production (Fundisi et al., 2022). This indicates that energy transfer efficiency is influenced by the availability of food resources and the roles of different consumer groups in the ecosystem.
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