scholarly journals Fire regimes and environmental gradients shape vertebrate and plant distributions in temperate eucalypt forests

Ecosphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke T. Kelly ◽  
Angie Haslem ◽  
Greg J. Holland ◽  
Steven W. J. Leonard ◽  
Josephine MacHunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Plant Distributions ◽  
Eucalypt Forests

scholarly journals Fire Regimes and Environmental Gradients Shape Bird, Mammal and Plant Distributions in Temperate Forests

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-230
Author(s):  
Luke T. Kelly ◽  
Angie Haslem ◽  
Greg J. Holland ◽  
Steven W. J. Leonard ◽  
Josephine MacHunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temperate Forests ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Plant Distributions

Fire and Environmental Heterogeneity in Southern Temperate Forest Ecosystems: Implications for Management

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
JE Williams ◽  
RJ Whelan ◽  
AM Gill
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Ecological Monitoring ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Biological Productivity ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Plant Resource ◽  
Crown Scorch ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
Predictive Understanding

Fire is a natural part of most Australian landscapes and has an important influence on the biological productivity and biotic composition of many ecosystems. Although fire is commonly used as a management tool, the precise nature of the way it may influence productivity and biotic composition is often poorly understood and, as a consequence, its use is controversial. This paper considers the use of fire for the management of ecosystems. Specifically, the influences of fire on environmental heterogeneity and the effects these have on shaping biological productivity and biotic patterns are discussed. Heterogeneity that affects biotic response includes variation in biophysical attributes of landscapes such as topography, fire regimes and the spatial attributes of fire. Examples are used to address the interplay between fires, environmental heterogeneity and biological patterns: (1) the effects of frees on plant resource availability; (2) crown scorch in eucalypt forests; and (3) the effects of spatial variation (patchiness) within a fire on species composition. Heterogeneity should be considered explicitly in management because prescriptions devised elsewhere may not be able to be imported with confidence to all sites and the responses of the biota to fires may differ from available information. Ecological monitoring and research into the ecological effects of heterogeneity are required to provide a predictive understanding of natural systems and provide information to aid decisions about the use of fire as a management tool.

Modeling fire interval data from the American southwest with the Weibull distribution

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henri D. Grissino-Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Weibull Distribution ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Interval Data ◽  
American Southwest ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Shift Parameter ◽  
Modal Interval ◽  
Fire Intervals

In this study, the Weibull distribution is tested as a possible model for fire interval data derived from dendrochronologically-dated fire scars from four sites in the American Southwest. Two- and three-parameter Weibull distributions were fit to fire interval data sets, and additional statistical descriptors based on the Weibull were derived to improve our understanding of the range of variability in presettlement fire regimes. The three-parameter models failed to provide improved fits versus the more parsimonious two-parameter models, indicating the Weibull shift parameter may be superfluous for Southwestern fire regimes. The Weibull Modal Interval (MOI) was a superior overall measure of central tendency, and appears to identify a common underlying structure in Southwestern fire regimes independent of habitat type and environmental gradients. Unusually short and long fire intervals were identified by the lower and upper exceedance intervals (LEI and UEI) and the Maximum Hazard Interval (MHI) based on the Weibull hazard function. Model statistics were nearly identical between two pairs of sites that were 260 kilometers distant that differed in topography, vegetation, and land-use history. However, differences were observed between sites only 10 kilometers apart, suggesting the influence of local factors (e.g., topography and substrate) over regional influences (e.g., climate). Although the Weibull models helped quantify the historical range of variability in presettlement fire regimes, ecological interpretations of the Weibull parameters proved difficult.

Studies of the Ground-Dwelling Mammals of Eucalypt Forests in South-Eastern New South Wales: the Effect of Environmental Variables on Distribution and Abundance.

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 669 ◽  
Author(s):  
PC Catling ◽  
RJ Burt
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Slope Position ◽  
Eucalyptus Forest ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Gradient Type ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
Resource Gradient

The distribution and abundance of ground-dwelling mammals was examined in 13 areas within 500 000 ha of eucalypt (Eucalyptus) forest in SE New South Wales. Data are presented on the distribution and abundance of species in relation to 3 environmental gradient types involving 9 variables: 2 direct gradients (temperature, rainfall); 6 indirect gradients (aspect, steepness of slope, position on slope, landform profile around the site, altitude, season) and a resource gradient (lithology). Many species of ground-dwelling mammal of the forests of SE New South Wales were present along all gradients examined, although wide variation in abundance occurred for some species. Eight species were correlated with direct gradients and all species were correlated with at least one indirect gradient. There was wide variation and species diversity with lithology, but the variation was not related to nutrient status. Although variations in abundance occurred along environmental gradients, the composition of the ground-dwelling mammal fauna in SE New South Wales forests changed little. A fourth gradient type, the substrate gradient (biomass of plants), had the greatest effect, because in the short-term disturbances such as logging and fire play an important role. Disturbance can have a profound influence on the substrate gradient, but no influence on environmental gradients. The results are discussed in relation to the arboreal mammals and avifauna in the region and Environmental and Fauna Impact studies and forest management.

scholarly journals Asymmetrical pegs in square holes? Functional and phylogenetic determinants of plant community assembly in temperate forest understories

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared J. Beck ◽  
Daijiang Li ◽  
Sarah E. Johnson ◽  
David Rogers ◽  
Kenneth M. Cameron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Plant Distributions ◽  
Local Species

ABSTRACTDespite advances in community assembly theory, uncertainties remain regarding how ecological and evolutionary processes shape species distributions and communities. We analyzed patterns of occurrence for 139 herbaceous plant species across 257 forest stands in Wisconsin (USA) to test predictions from community assembly theory. Specifically, we applied Bayesian phylogenetic linear mixed effects models (PGLMMs) to examine how functional traits and phylogenetic relationships influence plant distributions along environmental gradients and how functional similarity and phylogenetic relatedness affect local species co-occurrence. Leaf height, specific leaf area, and seed mass mediate species distributions along edaphic, climatic, and light gradients. In contrast, functional trait similarity and phylogenetic relationships only weakly affect patterns of local co-occurrence. These results confirm that broad-scale plant distributions are largely shaped by ecological sorting along environmental gradients but suggest deterministic assembly rules based on niche differentiation and complementary resource use may not govern local species co-occurrence in homogeneous environments.Statement of authorshipJB conceived the idea for the study. DL, SJ, and DR collected the vegetation and functional trait data. JB analyzed the data with assistance from DL. KC, KS, TG, and DW secured funding for research and oversaw data collection. JB wrote the first draft of the manuscript, all authors contributed to manuscript revisions.Data accessibility statementUpon acceptance, data will be archived at Figshare (https://figshare.com/) and scripts used to analyze the data will be shared on Github (https://github.com/jaredjbeck/).

Modelling the potential for prescribed burning to mitigate carbon emissions from wildfires in fire-prone forests of Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 629 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Bradstock ◽  
M. M. Boer ◽  
G. J. Cary ◽  
O. F. Price ◽  
R. J. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Burning Rates ◽  
Fuel Dynamics ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
In Fire

Prescribed fire can potentially reduce carbon emissions from unplanned fires. This potential will differ among ecosystems owing to inherent differences in the efficacy of prescribed burning in reducing unplanned fire activity (or ‘leverage’, i.e. the reduction in area of unplanned fire per unit area of prescribed fire). In temperate eucalypt forests, prescribed burning leverage is relatively low and potential for mitigation of carbon emissions from unplanned fires via prescribed fire is potentially limited. Simulations of fire regimes accounting for non-linear patterns of fuel dynamics for three fuel types characteristic of eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia supported this prediction. Estimated mean annual fuel consumption increased with diminishing leverage and increasing rate of prescribed burning, even though average fire intensity (prescribed and unplanned fires combined) decreased. The results indicated that use of prescribed burning in these temperate forests is unlikely to yield a net reduction in carbon emissions. Future increases in burning rates under climate change may increase emissions and reduce carbon sequestration. A more detailed understanding of the efficacy of prescribed burning and dynamics of combustible biomass pools is required to clarify the potential for mitigation of carbon emissions in temperate eucalypt forests and other ecosystems.

scholarly journals Wildland Fire Science Literacy: Education, Creation, and Application

Fire ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devan McGranahan ◽  
Carissa Wonkka
Keyword(s):  
Fire Ecology ◽  
Science Literacy ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Human Dimensions ◽  
Fire Science ◽  
Standard Data

Wildland fire science literacy is the capacity for wildland fire professionals to understand and communicate three aspects of wildland fire: (1) the fundamentals of fuels and fire behavior, (2) the concept of fire as an ecological regime, and (3) multiple human dimensions of wildland fire and the socio-ecological elements of fire regimes. Critical to wildland fire science literacy is a robust body of research on wildland fire. Here, we describe how practitioners, researchers, and other professionals can study, create, and apply robust wildland fire science. We begin with learning and suggest that the conventional fire ecology canon include detail on fire fundamentals and human dimensions. Beyond the classroom, creating robust fire science can be enhanced by designing experiments that test environmental gradients and report standard data on fuels and fire behavior, or at least use the latter to inform models estimating the former. Finally, wildland fire science literacy comes full circle with the application of robust fire science as professionals in both the field and in the office communicate with a common understanding of fundamental concepts of fire behavior and fire regime.

scholarly journals Fire and Vegetation History of the Last 2000 Years in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 120-126
Author(s):  
Cathy Whitlock ◽  
Karen Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
History Of ◽  
Short Time

Fire is an important form of natural disturbance in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems in the western United States, and it serves as a critical link between climate change and ecosystem response (Agee, 1990; Swetnam and Betancourt, 1998). The nature of these linkages depends on the time scale of interest. On short time scales, climate/weather and vegetation characteristics affect the fire conditions of particular years (and decades), as well as the dynamics of post-fire ecological succession. On centennial and millennial time scales, large-scale changes in climate alter regional fire regimes and vegetation composition. The linkages are especially complex in the western U.S., where fire regimes vary across environmental gradients and include frequent surface fires as well as infrequent stand-replacement events.

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