1
|
Wieczorkowski JD, Lehmann CER, Archibald S, Banda S, Goyder DJ, Kaluwe M, Kapinga K, Larridon I, Mashau AC, Phiri E, Syampungani S. Fire facilitates ground layer plant diversity in a Miombo ecosystem. Ann Bot 2024; 133:743-756. [PMID: 38468311 PMCID: PMC11082521 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Little is known about the response of ground layer plant communities to fire in Miombo ecosystems, which is a global blind spot of ecological understanding. We aimed: (1) to assess the impact of three experimentally imposed fire treatments on ground layer species composition and compare it with patterns observed for trees; and (2) to analyse the effect of fire treatments on species richness to assess how responses differ among plant functional groups. METHODS At a 60-year-long fire experiment in Zambia, we quantified the richness and diversity of ground layer plants in terms of taxa and functional groups across three experimental fire treatments of late dry-season fire, early dry-season fire and fire exclusion. Data were collected in five repeat surveys from the onset of the wet season to the early dry season. KEY RESULTS Of the 140 ground layer species recorded across the three treatments, fire-maintained treatments contributed most of the richness and diversity, with the least number of unique species found in the no-fire treatment. The early-fire treatment was more similar in composition to the no-fire treatment than to the late-fire treatment. C4 grass and geoxyle richness were highest in the late-fire treatment, and there were no shared sedge species between the late-fire and other treatments. At a plot level, the average richness in the late-fire treatment was twice that of the fire exclusion treatment. CONCLUSIONS Heterogeneity in fire seasonality and intensity supports diversity of a unique flora by providing a diversity of local environments. African ecosystems face rapid expansion of land- and fire-management schemes for carbon offsetting and sequestration. We demonstrate that analyses of the impacts of such schemes predicated on the tree flora alone are highly likely to underestimate impacts on biodiversity. A research priority must be a new understanding of the Miombo ground layer flora integrated into policy and land management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jakub D Wieczorkowski
- School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK
- Tropical Diversity, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK
| | - Caroline E R Lehmann
- School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK
- Tropical Diversity, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Sally Archibald
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Sarah Banda
- Herbarium, Division of Forest Research, Forestry Department, PO Box 22099, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - David J Goyder
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, UK
| | - Mokwani Kaluwe
- Herbarium, Division of Forest Research, Forestry Department, PO Box 22099, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Kondwani Kapinga
- Dag Hammarskjöld Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies – Environment, Sustainable Development and Peace, Copperbelt University, PO Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | | | - Aluoneswi C Mashau
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
- Foundational Research and Services, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0184, South Africa
| | - Elina Phiri
- Herbarium, Division of Forest Research, Forestry Department, PO Box 22099, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Stephen Syampungani
- Oliver R Tambo Africa Research Chair Initiative for Environment and Development, Copperbelt University, PO Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lioliopoulos P, Oikonomou P, Boulougaris G, Kolomvatsos K. Integrated Portable and Stationary Health Impact-Monitoring System for Firefighters. Sensors (Basel) 2024; 24:2273. [PMID: 38610485 PMCID: PMC11014343 DOI: 10.3390/s24072273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
The multi-layered negative effects caused by pollutants released into the atmosphere as a result of fires served as the stimulus for the development of a system that protects the health of firefighters operating in the affected area. A collaborative network comprising mobile and stationary Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are furnished with gas sensors, along with a remote server, constructs a resilient framework that monitors the concentrations of harmful emissions, characterizes the ambient air quality of the vicinity where the fire transpires, adopting European Air Quality levels, and communicates the outcomes via suitable applications (RESTful APIs and visualizations) to the stakeholders responsible for fire management decision making. Different experimental evaluations adopting separate contexts illustrate the operation of the infrastructure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Panagiotis Oikonomou
- Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Thessaly, 3rd km Lamia–Athens, 35100 Lamia, Greece; (P.L.); (G.B.); (K.K.)
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
As fire frequency and severity grow throughout the world, scientists working across a range of disciplines will increasingly need to incorporate wildfire models into their research. However, fire simulators tend to be highly complex, time-consuming to learn, and difficult to parameterize. As a result, embracing these models can prove impractical for scientists and practitioners who are not fire specialists. Here we introduce a parsimonious wildfire simulator named HexFire that has been designed for rapid uptake by investigators who do not specialize in the mechanics of fire spread. HexFire should be useful to such nonspecialists for representing the spread of fire, interactions with fuel breaks, and for integrating wildfire into other types of ecological models. We provide a detailed description of the HexFire simulator's design and mechanisms. Our heuristic fire spread examples highlight the flexibility inherent in the model system, demonstrate that HexFire can generate a wide range of emergent fire behaviors, and illustrate how HexFire might be coupled with other environmental models. We also describe ways that HexFire itself might be altered or augmented. HexFire can be used as a proxy for more detailed fire simulators and to assess the implications of wildfire for local ecological systems. HexFire can also simulate fire interactions with fuel breaks and active fire suppression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan H. Schumaker
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Sydney M. Watkins
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, % U.S. EPA Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bell TJ, Bowles ML, Zettler LW, Pollack CA, Ibberson JE. Environmental and Management Effects on Demographic Processes in the U.S. Threatened Platanthera leucophaea (Nutt.) Lindl. (Orchidaceae). Plants (Basel) 2021; 10:plants10071308. [PMID: 34203209 PMCID: PMC8309198 DOI: 10.3390/plants10071308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Populations of the U.S. threatened orchid, Platanthera leucophaea, are restricted to fragmented grassland and wetland habitats. We address the long-term (1998–2020) interactive effects of habitat (upland prairie vs. wetland), fire management (burned vs. unburned) and climatic variation, as well as pollination crossing effects, on population demography in 42 populations. Our analysis revealed the consistent interactive effects of habitat, dormant season burning, and climatic variation on flowering, reproduction, and survival. Burning increased flowering and population size under normal or greater than normal precipitation but may have a negative effect during drought years apparently if soil moisture stress reduces flowering and increases mortality. Trends in the number of flowering plants in populations also correspond to precipitation cycles. As with flowering and fecundity, survival is significantly affected by the interactive effects of habitat, fire, and climate. This study supports previous studies finding that P. leucophaea relies on a facultative outcrossing breeding system. Demographic modeling indicated that fire, normal precipitation, and outcrossing yielded greater population growth, and that greater fire frequency increased population persistence. It also revealed an ecologically driven demographic switch, with wetlands more dependent upon survivorship than fecundity, and uplands more dependent on fecundity than survivorship. Our results facilitate an understanding of environmental and management effects on the population demography of P. leucophaea in the prairie region of its distribution. Parallel studies are needed in the other habitats such as wetlands, especially in the eastern part of the range of the species, to provide a more complete picture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Bell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chicago State University, 9501 S King Dr., Chicago, IL 60628, USA;
| | | | - Lawrence W. Zettler
- Department of Biology, Illinois College, 1101 W College Ave, Jacksonville, IL 62650, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Catherine A. Pollack
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 230 South Dearborn St., Suite 2938, Chicago, IL 60604, USA;
| | - James E. Ibberson
- Department of Biology, Illinois College, 1101 W College Ave, Jacksonville, IL 62650, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hiers QA, Treadwell ML, Dickinson MB, Kavanagh KL, Lodge AG, Starns HD, Tolleson DR, Twidwell D, Wonkka CL, Rogers WE. Grass bud responses to fire in a semiarid savanna system. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:6620-6633. [PMID: 34141245 PMCID: PMC8207346 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasingly, land managers have attempted to use extreme prescribed fire as a method to address woody plant encroachment in savanna ecosystems. The effect that these fires have on herbaceous vegetation is poorly understood. We experimentally examined immediate (<24 hr) bud response of two dominant graminoids, a C3 caespitose grass, Nassella leucotricha, and a C4 stoloniferous grass, Hilaria belangeri, following fires of varying energy (J/m2) in a semiarid savanna in the Edwards Plateau ecoregion of Texas. Treatments included high- and low-energy fires determined by contrasting fuel loading and a no burn (control) treatment. Belowground axillary buds were counted and their activities classified to determine immediate effects of fire energy on bud activity, dormancy, and mortality. High-energy burns resulted in immediate mortality of N. leucotricha and H. belangeri buds (p < .05). Active buds decreased following high-energy and low-energy burns for both species (p < .05). In contrast, bud activity, dormancy, and mortality remained constant in the control. In the high-energy treatment, 100% (n = 24) of N. leucotricha individuals resprouted while only 25% (n = 24) of H. belangeri individuals resprouted (p < .0001) 3 weeks following treatment application. Bud depths differed between species and may account for this divergence, with average bud depths for N. leucotricha 1.3 cm deeper than H. belangeri (p < .0001). Synthesis and applications: Our results suggest that fire energy directly affects bud activity and mortality through soil heating for these two species. It is imperative to understand how fire energy impacts the bud banks of grasses to better predict grass response to increased use of extreme prescribed fire in land management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quinn A. Hiers
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Morgan L. Treadwell
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
- Department Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries ManagementTexas A&M AgriLife ExtensionSan AngeloTXUSA
| | | | | | - Alexandra G. Lodge
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Heath D. Starns
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
- Department Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries ManagementTexas A&M AgriLife ExtensionSan AngeloTXUSA
| | - Doug R. Tolleson
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
- Department Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries ManagementTexas A&M AgriLife ExtensionSan AngeloTXUSA
| | - Dirac Twidwell
- Department of Agronomy and HorticultureUniversity of Nebraska at LincolnLincolnNEUSA
| | - Carissa L. Wonkka
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
- Department of Agronomy and HorticultureUniversity of Nebraska at LincolnLincolnNEUSA
- Present address:
USDA ARSNorthern Plains Agricultural Research LabSidneyMTUSA
| | - William E. Rogers
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rainsford FW, Kelly LT, Leonard SWJ, Bennett AF. How does prescribed fire shape bird and plant communities in a temperate dry forest ecosystem? Ecol Appl 2021; 31:e02308. [PMID: 33605500 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
To mitigate the impact of severe wildfire on human society and the environment, prescribed fire is widely used in forest ecosystems to reduce fuel loads and limit fire spread. To avoid detrimental effects on conservation values, it is imperative to understand how prescribed fire affects taxa having a range of different adaptations to disturbance. Such studies will have greatest benefit if they extend beyond short-term impacts of burning. We used a field study to examine the effects of prescribed fire on birds and plants across a 36-yr post-fire chronosequence in a temperate dry forest ecosystem in southeastern Australia, and by making comparison with long-unburned reference sites (79 yr since wildfire). We modeled changes in the relative abundance of 22 bird species and the cover of 39 plant species, and examined how individual species, functional groups, species richness and community composition differed between sites with different fire history. For most individual bird and plant species modeled, relative abundance or cover at sites subject to prescribed fire did not change significantly with time since fire or differ from that of long-unburned vegetation. When bird species were pooled into functional groups, time since prescribed fire had strong effects on birds that forage in the lower-midstorey, facultative-resprouting shrubs and obligate-seeding shrubs. Species richness for both taxa did not differ between sites subject to prescribed fire and those in long-unburned vegetation. Bird communities varied significantly between the youngest (0-3 yr) and oldest (79 yr) post-fire age classes, driven by species associated with understorey vegetation. Plant community composition showed little evidence of a post-fire successional trajectory. The prevalence of bird species with broad habitat and dietary niches and plant regeneration through resprouting, make bird and plant communities in these forests relatively resilient to small and patchy prescribed fires they have experienced to date. Application of prescribed fire will be most compatible with maintaining biodiversity by taking a landscape approach that (1) plans for a geographic spread of stands with a range of between-prescribed-fire intervals to ensure provision of suitable habitat for all taxa, and (2) avoids burning in moist gullies to maintain their value as fire refuges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick W Rainsford
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Luke T Kelly
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Steve W J Leonard
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
- Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, GPO Box 44, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia
| | - Andrew F Bennett
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gates D, Jackson B, Schoville SD. Impacts of Fire on Butterfly Genetic Diversity and Connectivity. J Hered 2021; 112:367-376. [PMID: 34009382 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
How do novel fire regimes and a long history of fire suppression influence species genetic diversity? Genetic diversity provides the raw materials for sustaining viable populations and for allowing adaptation to novel environmental challenges, and at present, few studies address the genetic responses of animals to fire management. Here we study the genetic responses of 2 butterfly species to a landscape gradient of fire timing and severity in Yosemite National Park using a large set of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Butterflies are important bio-indicators of invertebrate diversity and play important roles in both bottom-up and top-down ecosystem processes, and typically increase in abundance following wildfires, due to an increase in abundance of flowering plants. However, it is not clear how genetic diversity and genetic connectivity of butterflies respond to landscape change following fire, and whether fire management has positive or negative effects. We found evidence to suggest that fire increases genetic diversity and reduces isolation in 2 butterfly species, but that aspects of the fire regime (severity, extent, timing, and frequency) differ in importance depending on the ecology of the specific species. This research is the first study to address fire management impacts on genetic diversity in invertebrates, and the results will allow fire managers to predict that fire reintroduction in protected areas will generally benefit butterfly populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daisy Gates
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Breeanne Jackson
- Division of Resources Management and Science, Yosemite National Park, El Portal, CA, USA
| | - Sean D Schoville
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Tulloch AIT, Hagger V, Greenville AC. Ecological forecasts to inform near-term management of threats to biodiversity. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:5816-5828. [PMID: 32652624 PMCID: PMC7540556 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems are being altered by rapid and interacting changes in natural processes and anthropogenic threats to biodiversity. Uncertainty in historical, current and future effectiveness of actions hampers decisions about how to mitigate changes to prevent biodiversity loss and species extinctions. Research in resource management, agriculture and health indicates that forecasts predicting the effects of near-term or seasonal environmental conditions on management greatly improve outcomes. Such forecasts help resolve uncertainties about when and how to operationalize management. We reviewed the scientific literature on environmental management to investigate whether near-term forecasts are developed to inform biodiversity decisions in Australia, a nation with one of the highest recent extinction rates across the globe. We found that forecasts focused on economic objectives (e.g. fisheries management) predict on significantly shorter timelines and answer a broader range of management questions than forecasts focused on biodiversity conservation. We then evaluated scientific literature on the effectiveness of 484 actions to manage seven major terrestrial threats in Australia, to identify opportunities for near-term forecasts to inform operational conservation decisions. Depending on the action, between 30% and 80% threat management operations experienced near-term weather impacts on outcomes before, during or after management. Disease control, species translocation/reintroduction and habitat restoration actions were most frequently impacted, and negative impacts such as increased species mortality and reduced recruitment were more likely than positive impacts. Drought or dry conditions, and rainfall, were the most frequently reported weather impacts, indicating that near-term forecasts predicting the effects of low or excessive rainfall on management outcomes are likely to have the greatest benefits. Across the world, many regions are, like Australia, becoming warmer and drier, or experiencing more extreme rainfall events. Informing conservation decisions with near-term and seasonal ecological forecasting will be critical to harness uncertainties and lower the risk of threat management failure under global change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Valerie Hagger
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of QueenslandSt. LuciaQldAustralia
| | - Aaron C. Greenville
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Docherty TDS, Hethcoat MG, MacTavish LM, MacTavish D, Dell S, Stephens PA, Willis SG. Burning savanna for avian species richness and functional diversity. Ecol Appl 2020; 30:e02091. [PMID: 32043665 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed fire is used throughout fire-prone landscapes to conserve biodiversity. Current best practice in managing savanna systems advocates methods based on the assumption that increased fire-mediated landscape heterogeneity (pyrodiversity) will promote biodiversity. However, considerable knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of how savanna wildlife responds to the composition and configuration of pyrodiverse landscapes. The effects of pyrodiversity on functional diversity have rarely been quantified and assessing this relationship at a landscape scale that is commensurate with fire management is important for understanding mechanisms underlying ecosystem resilience. Here, we assess the impact of spatiotemporal variation in a long-term fire regime on avian diversity in North West Province, South Africa. We examined the relationship between (1) species richness, (2) three indices of functional diversity (i.e., functional richness, functional evenness, and functional dispersion) and four measures of pyrodiversity, the spatial extents of fire age classes, and habitat type at the landscape scale. We then used null models to assess differences between observed and expected functional diversity. We found that the proportion of newly burned (<1-yr post-fire), old, unburned (≥10 yr post-fire), and woodland habitat on the landscape predicted species and functional richness. Species richness also increased with the degree of edge contrast between patches of varying fire age, while functional dispersion increased with the degree of patch shape complexity. Lower than expected levels of functional richness suggest that habitat filtering is occurring, resulting in functional redundancy across our study sites. We demonstrate that evaluating functional diversity and redundancy is an important component of conservation planning as they may contribute to previously reported fire resilience. Our findings suggest that it is the type and configuration, rather than the diversity, of fire patches on the landscape that promote avian diversity and conserve ecological functions. A management approach is needed that includes significant coverage of adjacent newly burned and older, unburned savanna habitat; the latter, in particular, is inadequately represented under current burning practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Teegan D S Docherty
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew G Hethcoat
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hounsfield Rd, Sheffield, S3 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Lynne M MacTavish
- Mankwe Wildlife Reserve, P.O. Box 20784 Protea Park 0305, Mogwase, Northwest Province, South Africa
| | - Dougal MacTavish
- Mankwe Wildlife Reserve, P.O. Box 20784 Protea Park 0305, Mogwase, Northwest Province, South Africa
| | - Stephen Dell
- Pilanesberg National Park, North West Parks Board, Mogwase, South Africa
| | - Philip A Stephens
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen G Willis
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ryan CM, Hobbs RJ, Valentine LE. Bioturbation by a reintroduced digging mammal reduces fuel loads in an urban reserve. Ecol Appl 2020; 30:e02018. [PMID: 31596973 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Digging animals may alter many characteristics of their environment as they disrupt and modify the ground's surface by creating foraging pits or burrows. Extensive disturbance to the soil and litter layer changes litter distribution and availability, potentially altering fuel loads. In many landscapes, including peri-urban areas, fire management to reduce fuel loads is complex and challenging. The reintroduction of previously common digging animals, many of which are now threatened, may have the added benefit of reducing fuel loads. We experimentally examined how the reintroduction of a marsupial bandicoot, quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), altered surface fuel loads in an urban bush reserve in Perth, Western Australia. Foraging activities of quenda (where they dig for subterranean food) were substantial throughout the reserve, creating a visibly patchy distribution in surface litter. Further, in open plots where quenda had access, compared to fenced plots where quenda were excluded, quenda foraging significantly reduced litter cover and litter depth. Similarly, estimated surface fuel loads were nearly halved in open plots where quenda foraged compared to fenced plots where quenda were absent (3.6 cf. 6.4 Mg/ha). Fire behavior modeling, using the estimated surface fuel loads, indicated the predicted rate of spread of fire were significantly lower for open plots where quenda foraged compared to fenced plots under both low (29.2 cf. 51.4 m/h; total fuels) and high (74.3 cf. 130.4 m/h; total fuels) fire conditions. Although many environments require fire, including the bushland where this study occurred, fire management can be a considerable challenge in many landscapes, including urban bushland reserves, which are usually small and close to human infrastructure. The reintroduction of previously common digging species may have potential value as a complimentary tool for reducing fuel loads, and potentially, fire risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C M Ryan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - R J Hobbs
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - L E Valentine
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Gosper CR, Watson SJ, Fox E, Burbidge AH, Craig MD, Douglas TK, Fitzsimons JA, McNee S, Nicholls AO, O'Connor J, Prober SM, Watson DM, Yates CJ. Fire-mediated habitat change regulates woodland bird species and functional group occurrence. Ecol Appl 2019; 29:e01997. [PMID: 31483902 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In an era characterized by recurrent large wildfires in many parts of the globe, there is a critical need to understand how animal species respond to fires, the rates at which populations can recover, and the functional changes fires may cause. Using quantified changes in habitat parameters over a ~400-yr post-fire chronosequence in an obligate-seeding Australian eucalypt woodland, we build and test predictions of how birds, as individual species and aggregated into functional groups according to their use of specific habitat resources, respond to time since fire. Individual bird species exhibited four generalized response types to time since fire: incline, decline, delayed, and bell. All significant relationships between bird functional group richness or abundance and time since fire were consistent with predictions based on known time-since-fire-associated changes in habitat features putatively important for these bird groups. Consequently, we argue that the bird community is responding to post-fire successional changes in habitat as per the habitat accommodation model, rather than to time since fire per se, and that our functional framework will be of value in predicting bird responses to future disturbances in this and other obligate-seeder forest and woodland ecosystems. Most bird species and functional groups that were affected by time since fire were associated with long-unburned woodlands. In the context of recent large, stand-replacement wildfires that have affected a substantial proportion of obligate-seeder eucalypt woodlands, and the multi-century timescales over which post-fire succession occurs, it would appear preferable from a bird conservation perspective if fires initiating loss of currently long-unburned woodlands were minimized. Once long-unburned woodlands are transformed by fire into recently burned woodlands, there is limited scope for alternative management interventions to accelerate the rate of habitat development after fire, or supplement the resources formerly provided to birds by long-unburned woodlands, with the limited exception of augmenting hollow availability for key hollow-nesting species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carl R Gosper
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Bentley, Western Australia, 6983, Australia
- CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 5, Wembley, Western Australia, 6913, Australia
| | - Simon J Watson
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
- Forest, Fire and Regions, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Fox
- BirdLife Australia, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, Australia
| | - Allan H Burbidge
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Bentley, Western Australia, 6983, Australia
| | - Michael D Craig
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - Tegan K Douglas
- BirdLife Australia, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, Australia
| | - James A Fitzsimons
- The Nature Conservancy, Suite 2-01, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia
| | - Shapelle McNee
- BirdLife Australia, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, Australia
| | - A O Nicholls
- CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, P.O. Box 789, Albury, New South Wales, 2640, Australia
| | - James O'Connor
- BirdLife Australia, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, Australia
| | - Suzanne M Prober
- CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 5, Wembley, Western Australia, 6913, Australia
| | - David M Watson
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, P.O. Box 789, Albury, New South Wales, 2640, Australia
| | - Colin J Yates
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Bentley, Western Australia, 6983, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Coffield SR, Graff CA, Chen Y, Smyth P, Foufoula-Georgiou E, Randerson JT. Machine learning to predict final fire size at the time of ignition. Int J Wildland Fire 2019; 28:861-873. [PMID: 34045840 PMCID: PMC8152111 DOI: 10.1071/wf19023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Fires in boreal forests of Alaska are changing, threatening human health and ecosystems. Given expected increases in fire activity with climate warming, insight into the controls on fire size from the time of ignition is necessary. Such insight may be increasingly useful for fire management, especially in cases where many ignitions occur in a short time period. Here we investigated the controls and predictability of final fire size at the time of ignition. Using decision trees, we show that ignitions can be classified as leading to small, medium or large fires with 50.4 ± 5.2% accuracy. This was accomplished using two variables: vapour pressure deficit and the fraction of spruce cover near the ignition point. The model predicted that 40% of ignitions would lead to large fires, and those ultimately accounted for 75% of the total burned area. Other machine learning classification algorithms, including random forests and multi-layer perceptrons, were tested but did not outperform the simpler decision tree model. Applying the model to areas with intensive human management resulted in overprediction of large fires, as expected. This type of simple classification system could offer insight into optimal resource allocation, helping to maintain a historical fire regime and protect Alaskan ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shane R. Coffield
- Department of Earth System Science, Croul Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Casey A. Graff
- Department of Computer Science, Donald Bren Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Yang Chen
- Department of Earth System Science, Croul Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Padhraic Smyth
- Department of Computer Science, Donald Bren Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Efi Foufoula-Georgiou
- Department of Earth System Science, Croul Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering Hall 5400, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - James T. Randerson
- Department of Earth System Science, Croul Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Dixon KM, Cary GJ, Worboys GL, Gibbons P. The disproportionate importance of long-unburned forests and woodlands for reptiles. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:10952-10963. [PMID: 30519419 PMCID: PMC6262929 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the impacts of time since fire on reptiles remains limited, partly because there are relatively few locations where long-term, spatially explicit fire histories are available. Such information is important given the large proportion of some landscapes that are managed with frequent prescribed fire to meet fuel management objectives. We conducted a space-for-time study across a landscape in southeastern Australia where the known fire history spanned 6 months to at least 96 years. Four methods were used to survey reptiles in 81 forest and woodland sites to investigate how time since fire (TSF), habitat, and environmental variables affect reptile richness, abundance, and composition. We used generalized linear models, generalized linear mixed-effects models, PERMANOVA, and SIMPER to identify relationships between the reptile assemblage (richness, abundance, and composition, respectively) and TSF, habitat, and environmental variables. All three reptile metrics were associated with TSF. Reptile richness and abundance were significantly higher in sites >96 years postfire than younger fire ages (0.5-12 years). Reptile composition at long-unburned sites was dissimilar to sites burned more recently but was similar between sites burned 0.5-2 and 6-12 years prior to sampling. Synthesis and applications. Long-unburned forests and woodlands were disproportionately more important for reptile richness and abundance than areas burned 6 months to 12 years prior to sampling. This is important given that long-unburned areas represent <8% of our study area. Our results therefore suggest that reptiles would benefit from protecting remaining long-unburned areas from fire and transitioning a greater proportion of the study area to long-unburned. However, some compositional differences between the long-unburned sites and sites 0.5-12 years postfire indicate that maintaining a diversity in fire ages is important for conserving reptile diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Dixon
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| | - Geoffrey J. Cary
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| | - Graeme L. Worboys
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| | - Philip Gibbons
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bowman DMJS, Daniels LD, Johnston FH, Williamson GJ, Jolly WM, Magzamen S, Rappold AG, Brauer M, Henderson SB. Can Air Quality Management Drive Sustainable Fuels Management at the Temperate Wildland-Urban Interface? Fire (Basel) 2018; 1:27. [PMID: 32123806 DOI: 10.3390/fire1020027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Sustainable fire management has eluded all industrial societies. Given the growing number and magnitude of wildfire events, prescribed fire is being increasingly promoted as the key to reducing wildfire risk. However, smoke from prescribed fires can adversely affect public health and breach air quality standards. Here we propose that air quality standards can lead to the development and adoption of sustainable fire management approaches that lower the risk of economically and ecologically damaging wildfires while improving air quality and reducing climate-forcing emissions. For example, green fire breaks at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) can resist the spread of wildfires into urban areas. These could be created through mechanical thinning of trees, and then maintained by targeted prescribed fire to create biodiverse and aesthetically pleasing landscapes. The harvested woody debris could be used for pellets and other forms of bioenergy in residential space heating and electricity generation. Collectively, such an approach would reduce the negative health impacts of smoke pollution from wildfires, prescribed fires, and combustion of wood for domestic heating. We illustrate such possibilities by comparing current and potential fire management approaches in the environmentally similar landscapes of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada and the island state of Tasmania in Australia.
Collapse
|
15
|
Beale CM, Courtney Mustaphi CJ, Morrison TA, Archibald S, Anderson TM, Dobson AP, Donaldson JE, Hempson GP, Probert J, Parr CL, Mayfield M. Pyrodiversity interacts with rainfall to increase bird and mammal richness in African savannas. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:557-567. [PMID: 29441661 PMCID: PMC5888149 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fire is a fundamental process in savannas and is widely used for management. Pyrodiversity, variation in local fire characteristics, has been proposed as a driver of biodiversity although empirical evidence is equivocal. Using a new measure of pyrodiversity (Hempson et al.), we undertook the first continent-wide assessment of how pyrodiversity affects biodiversity in protected areas across African savannas. The influence of pyrodiversity on bird and mammal species richness varied with rainfall: strongest support for a positive effect occurred in wet savannas (> 650 mm/year), where species richness increased by 27% for mammals and 40% for birds in the most pyrodiverse regions. Range-restricted birds were most increased by pyrodiversity, suggesting the diversity of fire regimes increases the availability of rare niches. Our findings are significant because they explain the conflicting results found in previous studies of savannas. We argue that managing savanna landscapes to increase pyrodiversity is especially important in wet savannas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Colin M. Beale
- Department of BiologyUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5DDUK
| | | | - Thomas A. Morrison
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowG12 8QQUK
| | - Sally Archibald
- Centre for African EcologySchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandPrivate BagJohannesburgSouth Africa
- Natural Resources and the EnvironmentCSIRPO Box 395Pretoria0001South Africa
| | - T. Michael Anderson
- Department of BiologyWake Forest University049 Winston HallWinston‐SalemNorth Carolina27106USA
| | - Andrew P. Dobson
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityEno HallPrincetonNJ08540USA
| | - Jason E. Donaldson
- Centre for African EcologySchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandPrivate BagJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Gareth P. Hempson
- Centre for African EcologySchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandPrivate BagJohannesburgSouth Africa
- South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON)Ndlovu NodePrivate Bag x1021PhalaborwaKruger National Park1390South Africa
| | - James Probert
- Department of Earth, Ocean & Ecological SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolL69 3GPUK
| | - Catherine L. Parr
- Centre for African EcologySchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandPrivate BagJohannesburgSouth Africa
- Department of Earth, Ocean & Ecological SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolL69 3GPUK
- Department of Zoology & EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPrivate Bag X20Pretoria0028South Africa
| | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Tulloch AIT, McDonald J, Cosier P, Sbrocchi C, Stein J, Lindenmayer D, Possingham HP. Using ideal distributions of the time since habitat was disturbed to build metrics for evaluating landscape condition. Ecol Appl 2018; 28:709-720. [PMID: 29490122 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Developing a standardized approach to measuring the state of biodiversity in landscapes undergoing disturbance is crucial for evaluating and comparing change across different systems, assessing ecosystem vulnerability and the impacts of destructive activities, and helping direct species recovery actions. Existing ecosystem metrics of condition fail to acknowledge that a particular community could be in multiple states, and the distribution of states could worsen or improve when impacted by a disturbance process, depending on how far the current landscape distribution of states diverges from pre-anthropogenic impact baseline conditions. We propose a way of rapidly assessing regional-scale condition in ecosystems where the distribution of age classes representing increasing time since last disturbance is suspected to have diverged from an ideal benchmark reference distribution. We develop two metrics that (1) compare the observed mean time since last disturbance with an expected mean and (2) quantify the summed shortfall of vegetation age-class frequencies relative to a reference age-class distribution of time since last disturbance. We demonstrate the condition metrics using two case studies: (1) fire in threatened southwestern Australian proteaceaous mallee-heath and (2) impacts of disturbance (fire and logging) in the critically endangered southeastern Australian mountain ash Eucalyptus regnans forest on the yellow-bellied glider Petaurus australis. We explore the effects of uncertainty in benchmark time since last disturbance, and evaluate metric sensitivity using simulated age-class distributions representing alternative ecosystems. By accounting for and penalizing too-frequent and too-rare disturbances, the summed shortfall metric is more sensitive to change than mean time since last disturbance. We find that mountain ash forest is in much poorer condition (summed shortfall 38.5 out of 100 for a 120-yr benchmark disturbance interval) than indicated merely by loss of extent (84% of vegetation remaining). Proteaceaous mallee-heath is in worse condition than indicated by loss of extent for an upper benchmark interval of 80 yr, but condition almost doubles for the minimum tolerable time since last disturbance interval of 20 yr. To fully describe ecosystem degradation, we recommend that our summed shortfall metric, focused on habitat quality and informed by biologically meaningful baselines, be added to existing condition measures focused on vegetation extent. This will improve evaluation of change in ecosystem states and enhance management of ecosystems in poor condition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha I T Tulloch
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Jane McDonald
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Peter Cosier
- Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, Level 4, Plaza Building, Australia Square, 95 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
| | - Carla Sbrocchi
- Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, Level 4, Plaza Building, Australia Square, 95 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
- University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - John Stein
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - David Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- The Nature Conservancy, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Davis H, Ritchie EG, Avitabile S, Doherty T, Nimmo DG. Testing the assumptions of the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis for termites in semi-arid Australia. R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:172055. [PMID: 29765661 PMCID: PMC5936926 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Fire shapes the composition and functioning of ecosystems globally. In many regions, fire is actively managed to create diverse patch mosaics of fire-ages under the assumption that a diversity of post-fire-age classes will provide a greater variety of habitats, thereby enabling species with differing habitat requirements to coexist, and enhancing species diversity (the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis). However, studies provide mixed support for this hypothesis. Here, using termite communities in a semi-arid region of southeast Australia, we test four key assumptions of the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis (i) that fire shapes vegetation structure over sufficient time frames to influence species' occurrence, (ii) that animal species are linked to resources that are themselves shaped by fire and that peak at different times since fire, (iii) that species' probability of occurrence or abundance peaks at varying times since fire and (iv) that providing a diversity of fire-ages increases species diversity at the landscape scale. Termite species and habitat elements were sampled in 100 sites across a range of fire-ages, nested within 20 landscapes chosen to represent a gradient of low to high pyrodiversity. We used regression modelling to explore relationships between termites, habitat and fire. Fire affected two habitat elements (coarse woody debris and the cover of woody vegetation) that were associated with the probability of occurrence of three termite species and overall species richness, thus supporting the first two assumptions of the pyrodiversity hypothesis. However, this did not result in those species or species richness being affected by fire history per se. Consequently, landscapes with a low diversity of fire histories had similar numbers of termite species as landscapes with high pyrodiversity. Our work suggests that encouraging a diversity of fire-ages for enhancing termite species richness in this study region is not necessary.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Davis
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology (Burwood campus), Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology (Burwood campus), Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia
| | - Sarah Avitabile
- Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Tim Doherty
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology (Burwood campus), Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia
| | - Dale G. Nimmo
- School of Environmental Science, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales 2640, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Sitters H, Di Stefano J, Wills T, Swan M, York A. Survey design for precise fire management conservation targets. Ecol Appl 2018; 28:35-45. [PMID: 28901043 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Common goals of ecological fire management are to sustain biodiversity and minimize extinction risk. A novel approach to achieving these goals determines the relative proportions of vegetation growth stages (equivalent to successional stages, which are categorical representations of time since fire) that maximize a biodiversity index. The method combines data describing species abundances in each growth stage with numerical optimization to define an optimal growth-stage structure that provides a conservation-based operational target for managers. However, conservation targets derived from growth-stage optimization are likely to depend critically on choices regarding input data. There is growing interest in the use of growth-stage optimization as a basis for fire management, thus understanding of how input data influence the outputs is crucial. Simulated data sets provide a flexible platform for systematically varying aspects of survey design and species inclusions. We used artificial data with known properties, and a case-study data set from southeastern Australia, to examine the influence of (1) survey design (total number of sites and their distribution among growth stages) and (2) species inclusions (total number of species and their level of specialization) on the precision of conservation targets. Based on our findings, we recommend that survey designs for precise estimates would ideally involve at least 80 sites, and include at least 80 species. Greater numbers of sites and species will yield increasingly reliable results, but fewer might be sufficient in some circumstances. An even distribution of sites among growth stages was less important than the total number of sites, and omission of species is unlikely to have a major influence on results as long as several species specialize on each growth stage. We highlight the importance of examining the responses of individual species to growth stage before feeding survey data into the growth-stage optimization black box, and advocate use of a resampling procedure to determine the precision of results. Collectively, our findings form a reproducible guide to designing ecological surveys that yield precise conservation targets through growth-stage optimization, and ultimately help sustain biodiversity in fire-prone systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Holly Sitters
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy Wills
- GHD, Level 8, 180 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matthew Swan
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alan York
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Syphard AD, Keeley JE, Pfaff AH, Ferschweiler K. Human presence diminishes the importance of climate in driving fire activity across the United States. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:13750-5. [PMID: 29229850 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1713885114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing human and ecological costs due to increasing wildfire are an urgent concern in policy and management, particularly given projections of worsening fire conditions under climate change. Thus, understanding the relationship between climatic variation and fire activity is a critically important scientific question. Different factors limit fire behavior in different places and times, but most fire-climate analyses are conducted across broad spatial extents that mask geographical variation. This could result in overly broad or inappropriate management and policy decisions that neglect to account for regionally specific or other important factors driving fire activity. We developed statistical models relating seasonal temperature and precipitation variables to historical annual fire activity for 37 different regions across the continental United States and asked whether and how fire-climate relationships vary geographically, and why climate is more important in some regions than in others. Climatic variation played a significant role in explaining annual fire activity in some regions, but the relative importance of seasonal temperature or precipitation, in addition to the overall importance of climate, varied substantially depending on geographical context. Human presence was the primary reason that climate explained less fire activity in some regions than in others. That is, where human presence was more prominent, climate was less important. This means that humans may not only influence fire regimes but their presence can actually override, or swamp out, the effect of climate. Thus, geographical context as well as human influence should be considered alongside climate in national wildfire policy and management.
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
Human impacts on fire regimes accumulated slowly with the evolution of modern humans able to ignite fires and manipulate landscapes. Today, myriad voices aim to influence fire in grassy ecosystems to different ends, and this is complicated by a colonial past focused on suppressing fire and preventing human ignitions. Here, I review available evidence on the impacts of people on various fire characteristics such as the number and size of fires, fire intensity, fire frequency and seasonality of fire in African grassy ecosystems, with the intention of focusing the debate and identifying areas of uncertainty. Humans alter seasonal patterns of fire in grassy systems but tend to decrease total fire emissions: livestock have replaced fire as the dominant consumer in many parts of Africa, and fragmented landscapes reduce area burned. Humans alter the season and time of day when fires occur, with important implications for fire intensity, tree-grass dynamics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Late season fires are more common when fire is banned or illegal: these later fires are far more intense but emit fewer GHGs. The types of fires which preserve human livelihoods and biodiversity are not always aligned with the goal of reducing GHG concentrations. Current fire management challenges therefore involve balancing the needs of a large rural population against national and global perspectives on the desirability of different types of fire, but this cannot happen unless the interests of all parties are equally represented. In the future, Africa is expected to urbanize and land use to intensify, which will imply different trajectories for the continent's fire regimes.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sally Archibald
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Private Bag X3, WITS, 2050, South Africa Natural Resources and the Environment, CSIR, PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Roos CI, Scott AC, Belcher CM, Chaloner WG, Aylen J, Bird RB, Coughlan MR, Johnson BR, Johnston FH, McMorrow J, Steelman T. Living on a flammable planet: interdisciplinary, cross-scalar and varied cultural lessons, prospects and challenges. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0469. [PMID: 27216517 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Living with fire is a challenge for human communities because they are influenced by socio-economic, political, ecological and climatic processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Over the course of 2 days, the authors discussed how communities could live with fire challenges at local, national and transnational scales. Exploiting our diverse, international and interdisciplinary expertise, we outline generalizable properties of fire-adaptive communities in varied settings where cultural knowledge of fire is rich and diverse. At the national scale, we discussed policy and management challenges for countries that have diminishing fire knowledge, but for whom global climate change will bring new fire problems. Finally, we assessed major fire challenges that transcend national political boundaries, including the health burden of smoke plumes and the climate consequences of wildfires. It is clear that to best address the broad range of fire problems, a holistic wildfire scholarship must develop common agreement in working terms and build across disciplines. We must also communicate our understanding of fire and its importance to the media, politicians and the general public.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
| | - Andrew C Scott
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Claire M Belcher
- wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
| | - William G Chaloner
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Jonathan Aylen
- Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Rebecca Bliege Bird
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Michael R Coughlan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Bart R Johnson
- Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97401, USA
| | - Fay H Johnston
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Julia McMorrow
- School of Environment, Education, and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Toddi Steelman
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5C8
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Bowman DMJS, Murphy BP, Neyland DLJ, Williamson GJ, Prior LD. Abrupt fire regime change may cause landscape-wide loss of mature obligate seeder forests. Glob Chang Biol 2014; 20:1008-1015. [PMID: 24132866 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Obligate seeder trees requiring high-severity fires to regenerate may be vulnerable to population collapse if fire frequency increases abruptly. We tested this proposition using a long-lived obligate seeding forest tree, alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis), in the Australian Alps. Since 2002, 85% of the Alps bioregion has been burnt by several very large fires, tracking the regional trend of more frequent extreme fire weather. High-severity fires removed 25% of aboveground tree biomass, and switched fuel arrays from low loads of herbaceous and litter fuels to high loads of flammable shrubs and juvenile trees, priming regenerating stands for subsequent fires. Single high-severity fires caused adult mortality and triggered mass regeneration, but a second fire in quick succession killed 97% of the regenerating alpine ash. Our results indicate that without interventions to reduce fire severity, interactions between flammability of regenerating stands and increased extreme fire weather will eliminate much of the remaining mature alpine ash forest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David M J S Bowman
- NERP Landscapes and Policy Hub, School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Neuwald JL, Templeton AR. Genetic restoration in the eastern collared lizard under prescribed woodland burning. Mol Ecol 2014; 22:3666-79. [PMID: 23841859 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Revised: 02/18/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Eastern collared lizards of the Ozarks live in glades--open, rocky habitats embedded in a woodland matrix. Past fire suppression had made the woodlands a barrier to dispersal, leading to habitat destruction, fragmentation and local extinction. Reintroduced populations of lizards were subjected to 10 years of habitat fragmentation under continued fire suppression followed by twelve years of landscape restoration with prescribed burns. Prior to prescribed burning, genetic diversity decreased within glades and differentiation increased among glades. With woodland burning, genetic diversity within glades first decreased during an expanding colonization phase, but then increased as a dynamically stable metapopulation was established. Population differentiation among glades also stabilized in the metapopulation under weak isolation-by-distance. This study is one of the first to examine the genetic changes in a species of conservation concern throughout all the stages of decline and recovery and shows the importance of landscape-level restoration for maintaining the genetic integrity of populations. This study also demonstrates how mark-recapture and genetic data together can yield detailed insight into metapopulation dynamics that would be impossible from just one type of data alone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Neuwald
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Ooi MKJ, Denham AJ, Santana VM, Auld TD. Temperature thresholds of physically dormant seeds and plant functional response to fire: variation among species and relative impact of climate change. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:656-71. [PMID: 25035805 PMCID: PMC4098144 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2013] [Revised: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in dormancy thresholds among species is rarely studied but may provide a basis to better understand the mechanisms controlling population persistence. Incorporating dormancy-breaking temperature thresholds into existing trait frameworks could improve predictions regarding seed bank persistence, and subsequently species resilience in response to fire, climate change and anthropogenic management. A key ecological strategy for many species from fire-prone ecosystems is the possession of a long-lived seed bank, ensuring recovery after fire. Physical dormancy is dominant in these ecosystems and maintaining this dormancy is directly linked to seed bank persistence. We identified a suite of seed-related factors relevant to maintaining populations in fire-prone regions for 14 co-occurring physically dormant species. We measured variation in initial levels of dormancy and then applied experimental heating treatments, based on current seasonal temperatures and those occurring during fires, to seeds of all study species. Additionally, higher seasonal temperature treatments were applied to assess response of seeds to temperatures projected under future climate scenarios. Levels of germination response and mortality were determined to assess how tightly germination response was bound to either fire or seasonal cues. Six species were found to have dormancy cues bound to temperatures that only occur during fires (80°C and above) and were grouped as having obligate pyrogenic dormancy release. The remaining species, classified as having facultative pyrogenic dormancy, had lower temperature dormancy thresholds and committed at least 30% of seeds to germinate after summer-temperature treatments. Evidence from this study supports including dormancy-breaking temperature thresholds as an attribute for identifying functional types. High temperature thresholds for breaking dormancy, found in our obligate pyrogenic group, appear to be a fire-adapted trait, while we predict that species in the facultative group are most at risk to increased seed bank decay resulting from elevated soil temperatures under projected climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark K J Ooi
- Institute for Conservation Biology & Environmental Management, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
| | - Andrew J Denham
- Institute for Conservation Biology & Environmental Management, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia ; Office of Environment & Heritage P.O. Box 1967, Hurstville, New South Wales, 2220, Australia
| | - Victor M Santana
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool Liverpool, L69 3GP, U.K ; Fundación de la Generalitat Valenciana Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), Parque Tecnológico Paterna. C/ Charles Darwin 14, E-46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Tony D Auld
- Institute for Conservation Biology & Environmental Management, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia ; Office of Environment & Heritage P.O. Box 1967, Hurstville, New South Wales, 2220, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Swengel AB, Swengel SR. Decline of Hesperia ottoe (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in Northern Tallgrass Prairie Preserves. Insects 2013; 4:663-82. [PMID: 26462529 DOI: 10.3390/insects4040663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Revised: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We counted butterflies on transect surveys during Hesperia ottoe flight period in 1988-2011 at tallgrass prairie preserves in four states (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin), divided into units cross-referenced to vegetation type and management history. H. ottoe occurred only in dry and sand prairie types, and was significantly more abundant in undegraded than semi-degraded prairie, and in discontinuous sod (with numerous unvegetated areas due to bare sand and/or rock outcrops) than in continuous sod. This skipper was significantly more abundant in small sites compared to medium and large sites, even when the analysis was limited to undegraded prairie analyzed separately by sod type. H. ottoe was significantly under-represented in year-burn 0 (the first growing season after fire) compared to an expected distribution proportional to survey effort. However, H. ottoe was also over-represented in fire-managed units compared to non-fire-managed units. However, by far most units and sites were in fire management and most populations declined to subdetection during this study. Peak abundance post-fire occurred in a later year-burn in discontinuous sod and was much higher than in continuous sod. We also analyze H. ottoe status and trend in midwestern prairie preserves by compiling a dataset of our and others' butterfly surveys from 1974 to 2011. Only 1/9 sites with continuous sod had detectable H. ottoe in recent year(s). In discontinuous sod, 2/6 did, with two sites lacking data for the last few years. The number of years H. ottoe was still detectable after preservation and the number of years to consistent non-detection were both significantly higher in discontinuous than continuous sod. Both measures of population persistence averaged over twice as long in discontinuous than continuous sod, and correlated negatively with prairie size. The year when consistent non-detection began varied over several decades among sites. Despite the currently urgent need to identify how to manage preserves successfully for H. ottoe, such research now needs to be very cautious, because of the extreme fragility of the few remaining populations and the ruggedness of the preserves where H. ottoe is still known to occur.
Collapse
|
26
|
Trauernicht C, Murphy BP, Tangalin N, Bowman DMJS. Cultural legacies, fire ecology, and environmental change in the Stone Country of Arnhem Land and Kakadu National Park, Australia. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:286-97. [PMID: 23467505 PMCID: PMC3586639 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2012] [Revised: 11/20/2012] [Accepted: 11/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We use the fire ecology and biogeographical patterns of Callitris intratropica, a fire-sensitive conifer, and the Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), an introduced mega-herbivore, to examine the hypothesis that the continuation of Aboriginal burning and cultural integration of buffalo contribute to greater savanna heterogeneity and diversity in central Arnhem Land (CAL) than Kakadu National Park (KNP). The ‘Stone Country’ of the Arnhem Plateau, extending from KNP to CAL, is a globally renowned social–ecological system, managed for millennia by Bininj-Kunwok Aboriginal clans. Regional species declines have been attributed to the cessation of patchy burning by Aborigines. Whereas the KNP Stone Country is a modern wilderness, managed through prescribed burning and buffalo eradication, CAL remains a stronghold for Aboriginal management where buffalo have been culturally integrated. We surveyed the plant community and the presence of buffalo tracks among intact and fire-damaged C. intratropica groves and the savanna matrix in KNP and CAL. Aerial surveys of C. intratropica grove condition were used to examine the composition of savanna vegetation across the Stone Country. The plant community in intact C. intratropica groves had higher stem counts of shrubs and small trees and higher proportions of fire-sensitive plant species than degraded groves and the savanna matrix. A higher proportion of intact C. intratropica groves in CAL therefore indicated greater gamma diversity and habitat heterogeneity than the KNP Stone Country. Interactions among buffalo, fire, and C. intratropica suggested that buffalo also contributed to these patterns. Our results suggest linkages between ecological and cultural integrity at broad spatial scales across a complex landscape. Buffalo may provide a tool for mitigating destructive fires; however, their interactions require further study. Sustainability in the Stone Country depends upon adaptive management that rehabilitates the coupling of indigenous culture, disturbance, and natural resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clay Trauernicht
- School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia ; Botany Department, University of Hawaii Honolulu, HI, 98622, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Uriarte M, Pinedo-Vasquez M, DeFries RS, Fernandes K, Gutierrez-Velez V, Baethgen WE, Padoch C. Depopulation of rural landscapes exacerbates fire activity in the western Amazon. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:21546-50. [PMID: 23236144 PMCID: PMC3535597 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1215567110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Destructive fires in Amazonia have occurred in the past decade, leading to forest degradation, carbon emissions, impaired air quality, and property damage. Here, we couple climate, geospatial, and province-level census data, with farmer surveys to examine the climatic, demographic, and land use factors associated with fire frequency in the Peruvian Amazon from 2000 to 2010. Although our results corroborate previous findings elsewhere that drought and proximity to roads increase fire frequency, the province-scale analysis further identifies decreases in rural populations as an additional factor. Farmer survey data suggest that increased burn scar frequency and size reflect increased flammability of emptying rural landscapes and reduced capacity to control fire. With rural populations projected to decline, more frequent drought, and expansion of road infrastructure, fire risk is likely to increase in western Amazonia. Damage from fire can be reduced through warning systems that target high-risk locations, coordinated fire fighting efforts, and initiatives that provide options for people to remain in rural landscapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Bowman DMJS, Balch J, Artaxo P, Bond WJ, Cochrane MA, D'Antonio CM, DeFries R, Johnston FH, Keeley JE, Krawchuk MA, Kull CA, Mack M, Moritz MA, Pyne S, Roos CI, Scott AC, Sodhi NS, Swetnam TW, Whittaker R. The human dimension of fire regimes on Earth. J Biogeogr 2011; 38:2223-2236. [PMID: 22279247 PMCID: PMC3263421 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02595.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 269] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Humans and their ancestors are unique in being a fire-making species, but 'natural' (i.e. independent of humans) fires have an ancient, geological history on Earth. Natural fires have influenced biological evolution and global biogeochemical cycles, making fire integral to the functioning of some biomes. Globally, debate rages about the impact on ecosystems of prehistoric human-set fires, with views ranging from catastrophic to negligible. Understanding of the diversity of human fire regimes on Earth in the past, present and future remains rudimentary. It remains uncertain how humans have caused a departure from 'natural' background levels that vary with climate change. Available evidence shows that modern humans can increase or decrease background levels of natural fire activity by clearing forests, promoting grazing, dispersing plants, altering ignition patterns and actively suppressing fires, thereby causing substantial ecosystem changes and loss of biodiversity. Some of these contemporary fire regimes cause substantial economic disruptions owing to the destruction of infrastructure, degradation of ecosystem services, loss of life, and smoke-related health effects. These episodic disasters help frame negative public attitudes towards landscape fires, despite the need for burning to sustain some ecosystems. Greenhouse gas-induced warming and changes in the hydrological cycle may increase the occurrence of large, severe fires, with potentially significant feedbacks to the Earth system. Improved understanding of human fire regimes demands: (1) better data on past and current human influences on fire regimes to enable global comparative analyses, (2) a greater understanding of different cultural traditions of landscape burning and their positive and negative social, economic and ecological effects, and (3) more realistic representations of anthropogenic fire in global vegetation and climate change models. We provide an historical framework to promote understanding of the development and diversification of fire regimes, covering the pre-human period, human domestication of fire, and the subsequent transition from subsistence agriculture to industrial economies. All of these phases still occur on Earth, providing opportunities for comparative research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David M J S Bowman
- School of Plant Science, Private Bag 55, University of TasmaniaHobart, Tas., Australia
| | - Jennifer Balch
- NCEAS735 State Street, Suite 300University of Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Paulo Artaxo
- Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo 1516Rua do Matão, Travessa R, 187, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - William J Bond
- Botany Department, University of Cape TownRondebosch, South Africa
| | - Mark A Cochrane
- Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence (GIScCE) South Dakota State UniversityBrookings, SD, USA
| | - Carla M D'Antonio
- Environmental Studies Program and Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Ruth DeFries
- Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology, Columbia UniversityNew York, NY, USA
| | - Fay H Johnston
- Menzies Research Institute, University of TasmaniaPrivate Bag 23, Hobart, Tas., Australia
| | - Jon E Keeley
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Field StationThree Rivers, CA, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Meg A Krawchuk
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, CA, USA
| | - Christian A Kull
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash UniversityMelbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Michelle Mack
- Department of Biology, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA
| | - Max A Moritz
- Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, CA, USA
| | - Stephen Pyne
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State UniversityTempe, AZ, USA
| | - Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX, USA
| | - Andrew C Scott
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of LondonEgham, UK
| | - Navjot S Sodhi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of SingaporeSingapore
| | - Thomas W Swetnam
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of ArizonaTucson, AZ, USA
| | - Robert Whittaker
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of ArizonaTucson, AZ, USA
| |
Collapse
|