Global and Regional Trends and Drivers of Fire Under Climate Change

Reviews of Geophysics, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 60(3)

Published: April 11, 2022

Abstract Recent wildfire outbreaks around the world have prompted concern that climate change is increasing fire incidence, threatening human livelihood and biodiversity, perpetuating change. Here, we review current understanding of impacts on weather (weather conditions conducive to ignition spread wildfires) consequences for regional activity as mediated by a range other bioclimatic factors (including vegetation biogeography, productivity lightning) ignition, suppression, land use). Through supplemental analyses, present stocktake trends in burned area (BA) during recent decades, examine how relates its drivers. Fire controls annual timing fires most regions also drives inter‐annual variability BA Mediterranean, Pacific US high latitude forests. Increases frequency extremity been globally pervasive due 1979–2019, meaning landscapes are primed burn more frequently. Correspondingly, increases ∼50% or higher seen some extratropical forest ecoregions including high‐latitude forests 2001–2019, though interannual remains large these regions. Nonetheless, can override relationship between weather. For example, savannahs strongly patterns fuel production fragmentation naturally fire‐prone agriculture. Similarly, tropical relate deforestation rates degradation than changing Overall, has reduced 27% past two part decline African savannahs. According models, prevalence already emerged beyond pre‐industrial Mediterranean change, emergence will become increasingly widespread at additional levels warming. Moreover, several major wildfires experienced years, Australian bushfires 2019/2020, occurred amidst were considerably likely Current models incompletely reproduce observed spatial based their existing representations relationships controls, historical vary across models. Advances observation controlling supporting addition optimization processes exerting upwards pressure intensity weather, this escalate with each increment global Improvements better interactions climate, extremes, humans required predict future mitigate against consequences.

Language: Английский

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Animals and the zoogeochemistry of the carbon cycle

Science, Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: 362(6419)

Published: Dec. 7, 2018

Animals count Flux across the carbon cycle is generally characterized by contributions from plants, microbes, and abiotic systems. Animals, however, move vast amounts of carbon, both through ecosystem webs landscape. Schmitz et al. review different that animal populations make to cycling discuss approaches allow for better monitoring these contributions. Science , this issue p. eaar3213

Language: Английский

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Resilience and restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and grassy woodlands

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: 94(2), P. 590 - 609

Published: Sept. 24, 2018

ABSTRACT Despite growing recognition of the conservation values grassy biomes, our understanding how to maintain and restore biodiverse tropical grasslands (including savannas open‐canopy woodlands) remains limited. To incorporate into large‐scale restoration efforts, we synthesised existing ecological knowledge grassland resilience approaches plant community restoration. Tropical communities are resilient to, often dependent on, endogenous disturbances with which they evolved – frequent fires native megafaunal herbivory. In stark contrast, extremely vulnerable human‐caused exogenous disturbances, particularly those that alter soils destroy belowground biomass (e.g. tillage agriculture, surface mining); after severe soil is expensive rarely achieves management targets. Where have been degraded by altered disturbance regimes fire exclusion), exotic invasions, or afforestation, efforts can recreate vegetation structure (i.e. historical tree density herbaceous ground cover), but species‐diverse communities, including endemic species, slow recover. Complicating plant‐community many invest in underground storage organs, difficult propagate re‐establish. guide decisions, draw on old‐growth concept, novel ecosystem theory regarding cover along resource gradients propose a conceptual framework classifies three broad states. These states are: (1) ancient, ecosystems), where should focus maintenance regimes; (2) hybrid grasslands, emphasise return towards state; (3) ecosystems, magnitude environmental change shift an alternative state) socioecological context preclude conditions.

Language: Английский

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Drivers of woody plant encroachment over Africa

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: 9(1)

Published: June 5, 2018

While global deforestation induced by human land use has been quantified, the drivers and extent of simultaneous woody plant encroachment (WPE) into open areas are only regionally known. WPE important consequences for ecosystem functioning, carbon balances economies. Here we report, using high-resolution satellite imagery, that vegetation cover over sub-Saharan Africa increased 8% past three decades a diversity drivers, other than CO2, were able to explain 78% spatial variation in this trend. A decline burned area along with warmer, wetter climates drove WPE, although mitigated high population growth rates, low extremes herbivory, specifically browsers. These results confirm greening trends, thereby bringing question widely held theories about declining terrestrial desert expansion. Importantly, while such as climate CO2 may enhance risk managing fire herbivory at local scale provides tools mitigate continental WPE.

Language: Английский

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Global change biology: A primer

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2019, Volume and Issue: 26(1), P. 3 - 30

Published: Oct. 30, 2019

Abstract Because of human action, the Earth has entered an era where profound changes in global environment are creating novel conditions that will be discernable far into future. One consequence may a large reduction Earth's biodiversity, potentially representing sixth mass extinction. With effective stewardship, change drivers threaten biota could alleviated, but this requires clear understanding drivers, their interactions, and how they impact ecological communities. This review identifies 10 anthropogenic discusses six (atmospheric CO 2 enrichment, climate change, land transformation, species exploitation, exotic invasions, eutrophication) biodiversity. Driver impacts on particular positive or negative. In either case, initiate secondary responses cascade along lines connection doing so magnify initial impact. The unique nature threat to biodiversity is not simply due magnitude each driver, speed novelty interactions. Emphasizing one notably problematic because other also degrade together stability biosphere. As main academic journal addressing effects living systems, GCB well positioned provide leadership solving challenge. If humanity cannot meet challenge, then serve as leading chronicle extinction occur planet Earth.

Language: Английский

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Conserving Africa’s wildlife and wildlands through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 4(10), P. 1300 - 1310

Published: July 29, 2020

Language: Английский

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Impacts of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystems

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 33(11), P. R584 - R610

Published: June 1, 2023

Language: Английский

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Humboldt and the reinvention of nature

Journal of Ecology, Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: 107(3), P. 1031 - 1037

Published: Nov. 25, 2018

Abstract Alexander von Humboldt is a key figure in the history of ecology and biogeography who contributed to shape what today ecology, as well environmentalist movement. His observation that world’s vegetation varies systematically with climate was one his many contributions science. Here, we question extent Humboldt’s view biased our vision nature. The current emphasis on role soils ecological evolutionary studies, forests potential most important vegetation, suggests still nature through eyes Humboldt. Over last 20 years, diverse studies have shown open non‐forested ecosystems (savannas, grasslands, shrublands) cannot be predicted by are ancient systems maintained fire and/or vertebrate herbivory. Paleoecological phylogenetic these plant consumers at geological time scales. This has major implications for how understand manage ecosystems. Synthesis. We need consciously probe long‐standing idea only factors shaping broad‐scale patterns propose move beyond legacy embracing large mammal herbivory additional explaining evolution world vegetation.

Language: Английский

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High plant diversity and slow assembly of old-growth grasslands

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 117(31), P. 18550 - 18556

Published: July 16, 2020

Significance The idea that grasslands can be ancient, particularly in climates also support forests, is not widely recognized. Consequently, scientists and conservation planners often misinterpret old-growth to low-diversity, successional vegetation, from which little lost through conversion tillage agriculture or tree plantations. We used a global analysis of herbaceous plant communities show after are destroyed, the recovery diversity requires hundreds thousands years. Such slow rates underscore need replace outdated models forest succession with emphasize importance fire, herbivory, long periods time grassland biodiversity. This study offers evidence grasslands, like should prioritized for conservation.

Language: Английский

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Droughts and the ecological future of tropical savanna vegetation

Journal of Ecology, Journal Year: 2019, Volume and Issue: 107(4), P. 1531 - 1549

Published: June 27, 2019

Abstract Climate change is expected to lead more frequent, intense and longer droughts in the future, with major implications for ecosystem processes human livelihoods. The impacts of such are already evident, vegetation dieback reported from a range ecosystems, including savannas, recent years. Most our insights into mechanisms governing drought responses have come forests temperate grasslands, while savannas received less attention. Because two life forms that dominate savannas—C 3 trees C 4 grasses—respond differently same environmental controls, savanna can differ those grasslands. Drought‐driven mortality not readily predicted by just plant drought‐tolerance traits alone, but net outcome multiple factors, drought‐avoidance strategies, landscape neighborhood context, past current stressors fire, herbivory inter‐life form competition. Many currently appear capacity recover moderate severe short‐term droughts, although recovery times be substantial. Factors facilitating include resprouting ability vegetation, enhanced flowering seeding post‐drought amelioration fire. Future increases severity, length frequency interrupt trajectories compositional shifts, thus pose substantial threats, particularly arid semi‐arid savannas. Synthesis . Our understanding of, predict, limited availability relevant data, there an urgent need campaigns quantifying drought‐survival across diverse Importantly, these must move beyond reliance on set functional identifying suites physiological, morphological, anatomical structural or “syndromes” encapsulate both avoidance tolerance strategies. There also critical global network long‐term monitoring sites as provide key factors influencing resistance resilience different droughts. Such efforts, coupled site‐specific rainfall manipulation experiments characterize trait–drought response relationships, modelling will enable comprehensive responses.

Language: Английский

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