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Brown LE, Holden J. Contextualizing UK moorland burning studies with geographical variables and sponsor identity. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lee E. Brown
- School of Geography University of Leeds Leeds UK
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Ashby MA, Heinemeyer A. Prescribed burning impacts on ecosystem services in the British uplands: A methodological critique of the EMBER project. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Ashby
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster UK
| | - Andreas Heinemeyer
- Department of Environment and Geography Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York York UK
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Lupascu M, Akhtar H, Smith TEL, Sukri RS. Post-fire carbon dynamics in the tropical peat swamp forests of Brunei reveal long-term elevated CH 4 flux. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:5125-5145. [PMID: 32475055 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Tropical peatlands hold about 15%-19% of the global peat carbon (C) pool of which 77% is stored in the peat swamp forests (PSFs) of Southeast Asia. Nonetheless, these PSFs have been drained, exploited for timber and land for agriculture, leading to frequent fires in the region. The physico-chemical characteristics of peat, as well as the hydrology of PSFs are affected after a fire, during which the ecosystem can act as a C source for decades, as C emissions to the atmosphere exceed photosynthesis. In this work, we studied the longer-term impact of fires on C cycling in tropical PSFs, hence we quantified the magnitude and patterns of C loss (CO2 , CH4 and dissolved organic carbon) and soil-water quality characteristics in an intact and a degraded burnt PSF in Brunei Darussalam affected by seven fires over the last 40 years. We used natural tracers such as 14 C to investigate the age and sources of C contributing to ecosystem respiration (Reco ) and CH4 , while we continuously monitored soil temperature and water table (WT) level from June 2017 to January 2019. Our results showed a major difference in the physico-chemical parameters, which in turn affected C dynamics, especially CH4 . Methane effluxes were higher in fire-affected areas (7.8 ± 2.2 mg CH4 m-2 hr-1 ) compared to the intact PSF (4.0 ± 2.0 mg CH4 m-2 hr-1 ) due to prolonged higher WT and more optimal methanogenesis conditions. On the other hand, we did not find significant differences in Reco between burnt (432 ± 83 mg CO2 m-2 hr-1 ) and intact PSF (359 ± 76 mg CO2 m-2 hr-1 ). Radiocarbon analysis showed overall no significant difference between intact and burnt PSF with a modern signature for both CO2 and CH4 fluxes implying a microbial preference for the more labile C fraction in the peat matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Lupascu
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Integrated Tropical Peatland Research Program, NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hasan Akhtar
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Thomas E L Smith
- Department of Geography and Environment, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
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Noble A, O’Reilly J, Glaves DJ, Crowle A, Palmer SM, Holden J. Impacts of prescribed burning on Sphagnum mosses in a long-term peatland field experiment. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206320. [PMID: 30383788 PMCID: PMC6211700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding fire impacts on peatland vegetation can inform management to support function and prevent degradation of these important ecosystems. However, time since burn, interval between burns and number of past burns all have the potential to modify impacts. Grazing regime may also affect vegetation directly or via an interaction with burning. We used new, comprehensive survey data from a hillslope-scale field experiment initiated in 1954 to investigate the effects of burning and grazing treatments on Sphagnum. Historical data were consulted to aid interpretation of the results. The unburned reference and the most frequently burned (10-year rotation) treatments had greater Sphagnum abundance and hummock height than intermediate treatments (20-year rotation and no-burn since 1954). Abundance of the most common individual species (S. capillifolium, S. subnitens and S. papillosum) followed similar patterns. Light grazing had no impact on Sphagnum-related variables, nor did it interact with the burning treatments.These results suggest that in some cases fire has a negative impact on Sphagnum, and this can persist for several decades. However, fire return interval and other factors such as atmospheric pollution may alter effects, and in some cases Sphagnum abundance may recover. Fire severity and site specific conditions may also influence effects, so we advise consideration of these factors, and caution when using fire as a management tool on peatlands where Sphagnum is considered desirable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Noble
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | | | - David J. Glaves
- Natural England, Foss House, Kings Pool, Peasholme Green, York, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair Crowle
- Natural England, Foss House, Kings Pool, Peasholme Green, York, United Kingdom
| | - Sheila M. Palmer
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph Holden
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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Grau-Andrés R, Davies GM, Gray A, Scott EM, Waldron S. Fire severity is more sensitive to low fuel moisture content on Calluna heathlands than on peat bogs. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 616-617:1261-1269. [PMID: 29111249 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Moorland habitats dominated by the dwarf shrub Calluna vulgaris provide important ecosystem services. Drought is projected to intensify throughout their range, potentially leading to increased fire severity as moisture is a key control on severity. We studied the effect of low fuel moisture content (FMC) on fire severity by using 2×2m rain-out shelters prior to completing 19 experimental fires in two sites in Scotland (UK): a dry heath with thin organic soils and a raised bog with deep, saturated peat, both dominated by Calluna vulgaris. Reduced FMC of the moss and litter (M/L) layer at both sites, and the soil moisture of the dry heath, increased fire-induced consumption of the M/L layer and soil heating at both sites. Increase in fire severity was greater at the dry heath than at the raised bog, e.g. average maximum temperatures at the soil surface increased from 31°C to 189°C at the dry heath, but only from 10°C to 15°C at the raised bog. Substantial M/L layer consumption was observed when its FMC was below 150%. This led to larger seasonal and daily soil temperature fluctuation, particularly at the dry heath during warm months. The results suggest that low FMC following predicted changes in climate are likely to increase wildfire severity and that the impact on vegetation composition and carbon stores may be greater at heathlands than at peatlands. Managed burning aiming to minimise fire severity (e.g. ignition of the M/L layer and exposure to lethal temperatures of ericoid seeds) should be carried out when the FMC of the M/L layer is above 150% and the FMC of the soil is above 200-300%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Grau-Andrés
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ, UK.
| | - G Matt Davies
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, Kottman Hall, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Alan Gray
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, UK
| | - E Marian Scott
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QW, UK
| | - Susan Waldron
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ, UK
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Noble A, Palmer SM, Glaves DJ, Crowle A, Brown LE, Holden J. Prescribed burning, atmospheric pollution and grazing effects on peatland vegetation composition. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Noble
- School of Geography; University of Leeds; Leeds UK
| | | | | | | | - Lee E. Brown
- School of Geography; University of Leeds; Leeds UK
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Davies GM, Kettridge N, Stoof CR, Gray A, Ascoli D, Fernandes PM, Marrs R, Allen KA, Doerr SH, Clay GD, McMorrow J, Vandvik V. The role of fire in UK peatland and moorland management: the need for informed, unbiased debate. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0342. [PMID: 27216512 PMCID: PMC4874417 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fire has been used for centuries to generate and manage some of the UK's cultural landscapes. Despite its complex role in the ecology of UK peatlands and moorlands, there has been a trend of simplifying the narrative around burning to present it as an only ecologically damaging practice. That fire modifies peatland characteristics at a range of scales is clearly understood. Whether these changes are perceived as positive or negative depends upon how trade-offs are made between ecosystem services and the spatial and temporal scales of concern. Here we explore the complex interactions and trade-offs in peatland fire management, evaluating the benefits and costs of managed fire as they are currently understood. We highlight the need for (i) distinguishing between the impacts of fires occurring with differing severity and frequency, and (ii) improved characterization of ecosystem health that incorporates the response and recovery of peatlands to fire. We also explore how recent research has been contextualized within both scientific publications and the wider media and how this can influence non-specialist perceptions. We emphasize the need for an informed, unbiased debate on fire as an ecological management tool that is separated from other aspects of moorland management and from political and economic opinions. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The interaction of fire and mankind’.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Matt Davies
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Nicholas Kettridge
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B31 2DX, UK
| | - Cathelijne R Stoof
- Soil Geography and Landscape Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Alan Gray
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, Grugliasco (TO) 10095, Italy
| | - Paulo M Fernandes
- Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agro-Ambientais e Biológicas, Universidade de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Rob Marrs
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
| | - Katherine A Allen
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
| | - Stefan H Doerr
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Gareth D Clay
- School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Julia McMorrow
- School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Postboks 7803, Bergen 5020, Norway
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