Collapse and recovery of livestock systems shape fire regimes on the Eurasian steppe: a review of ecosystem and biodiversity implications

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 380(1924)

Published: April 1, 2025

Shifts in fire regimes can trigger rapid changes ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. We synthesize evidence for patterns, causes consequences of recent change across the Eurasian steppes, a neglected global hotspot. Political economic turmoil following break-up Soviet Union 1991 triggered abrupt land abandonment over millions hectares collapse livestock populations. The build-up vegetation as fuel, rural depopulation deteriorating control led to increase size, area burned frequency. Fire were also driven by drought, but likely only after fuel had accumulated. Increased disturbance resulted grass encroachment, homogenization decreasing plant species diversity. Feedback loops due high flammability likely. Direct carry-on effects on birds, keystone small mammals insects largely negative. Nutrient cycling carbon balance changed, these have yet be quantified. regime large frequent fires persisted until ca 2010 shifted back more grazing-controlled populations recovered, reinforced increasing precipitation. Key future research topics include climate change, changing pyrodiversity pyric herbivory resilience. Ongoing steppe restoration rewilding efforts, integrated management will benefit from better understanding regimes. This article is part theme issue ‘Novel under human influences: impacts, responses feedbacks’.

Language: Английский

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Fire, water, and biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada: a possible triple win

Environmental Research Communications, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 3(8), P. 081004 - 081004

Published: July 26, 2021

Reducing the risk of large, severe wildfires while also increasing security mountain water supplies and enhancing biodiversity are urgent priorities in western US forests. After a century fire suppression, Yosemite Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks located California's Sierra Nevada initiated programs to manage these areas present rare opportunity study effects restored regimes. Forest cover decreased during managed wildfire period meadow shrubland increased, especially Yosemite's Illilouette Creek basin that experienced 20% reduction forest area. These now support greater pyrodiversity consequently landscape species diversity. Soil moisture increased drought-induced tree mortality decreased, where have been allowed burn more freely resulting 30% increase summer soil moisture. Modeling suggests ecohydrological co-benefits restoring regimes robust projected climatic warming. Support will be needed from highest levels government public maintain existing expand them other forested areas.

Language: Английский

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Resilience of terrestrial and aquatic fauna to historical and future wildfire regimes in western North America

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 11(18), P. 12259 - 12284

Published: Aug. 30, 2021

Wildfires in many western North American forests are becoming more frequent, larger, and severe, with changed seasonal patterns. In response, coniferous forest ecosystems will transition toward dominance by fire-adapted hardwoods, shrubs, meadows, grasslands, which may benefit some faunal communities, but not others. We describe factors that limit promote resilience to shifting wildfire regimes for terrestrial aquatic ecosystems. highlight the potential value of interspersed nonforest patches wildlife. Similarly, we review watershed thresholds control wildfire, mediated thermal changes chemical, debris, sediment loadings. present a 2-dimensional life history framework temporal spatial traits species use resist effects or recover after disturbance at metapopulation scale. The role fire refuge is explored metapopulations species. systems, recovery assemblages postfire be faster smaller fires where unburned tributary basins instream structures provide from debris flows. envision more-frequent, lower-severity favor opportunistic less-frequent high-severity better competitors. Along dimension, hypothesize predictable generate burned close proximity move refuges later recolonize, whereas tend less-severely shelter place. Looking beyond trees fauna, consider mitigation options enhance buy time facing no-analog future.

Language: Английский

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Megafire causes persistent loss of an old‐forest species

Animal Conservation, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 24(6), P. 925 - 936

Published: May 9, 2021

Abstract Climate change and a long legacy of fire suppression are leading to an increased prevalence ‘mega‐disturbances’ such as drought wildfire in terrestrial ecosystems. Evidence for the immediate effects these novel disturbances on wildlife is accumulating, but little information exists longer term impacts species We studied occurrence dynamics iconic old‐forest species, spotted owl ( Strix occidentalis ), long‐term study area Sierra Nevada, CA, USA from 1989 2020 evaluate their multi‐scale population response following 2014 megafire (the ‘King’ Fire) that affected portion our area. found extensive severe within sites resulted both site abandonment prolonged lack re‐colonization by owls six years post‐fire. Sites experienced high pyrodiversity – mosaic burn severities were more likely persist after fire, this effect was only apparent at finer spatial scales. A potentially confounding factor, post‐fire salvage logging, did not explain variability probability either persisting or becoming re‐colonized; could be attributed extent pyrodiversity. Our demonstrates occupancy forest‐dependent suggesting forest restoration reduces megafires benefit owls. work emphasizes monitoring can offer surprising learning opportunities provide unparalleled value understanding addressing emerging environmental concerns.

Language: Английский

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Responses from bees, butterflies, and ground beetles to different fire and site characteristics: A global meta-analysis

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 261, P. 109265 - 109265

Published: July 30, 2021

Climate change in concert with fire suppression is increasing the size, severity and frequency of fires globally. At same time, insects, an exceptionally biodiverse group that provide essential ecosystem services such as pollination decomposition, are declining precipitously. We know little, however, about mechanisms contribute to insect decline. To understand if there a larger global signature on communities, we conducted systematic search meta-analyses pyroentomology literature for butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera), bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) report how each taxa's richness abundance response overall fire, 16 different site characteristics, well combined forest/grassland management treatments. Across 100 studies 445 effects, found bee biodiversity increased after combination In contrast, had no significant positive or negative effect beetle butterfly biodiversity. Furthermore, did not find any characteristics decreased across our taxa. Surprisingly, only 7% quantified severity, which likely explains inconsistent results within literature. conclude further consideration will advance understanding insects respond fires. Our findings characteristic create stronger foundation help scientists conservation managers make better decisions predictions achieve their research goals.

Language: Английский

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Fire Hazards: Socio-economic and Regional Issues

Springer eBooks, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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When bigger isn’t better—Implications of large high‐severity wildfire patches for avian diversity and community composition

Diversity and Distributions, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 28(3), P. 439 - 453

Published: April 4, 2021

Abstract Aim Wildfires increasingly create large high‐severity patches with interior areas far from less disturbed habitats. We evaluated how these trends impact bird communities by investigating the effect of internal distance lower‐severity areas, patch size, and years since fire on avian alpha beta diversity. Location Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Methods Bird occurrence data were collected during 2009–2017 within 27 wildfires representing 1–30 disturbance. A two‐step multispecies occupancy method was used to account for imperfect detection 94 species estimate effects characteristics community richness dissimilarity. Results Community decreased edge size. Richness increased fire, but this pattern dependent higher peak (23 species) near edges than interiors (18 species). dissimilarity not associated distance, indicating that contain subsets of, rather complements to, communities. Dissimilarity peaked later increasing Guild tree primary cavity nesters negatively ground shrub insensitive while nester somewhat Due declines among other species, made up a greater percentage patches. Main conclusions As activity increases due accumulating forest fuels accelerating climate change, their resulting early‐seral habitats are becoming more extensive area. Such changes likely decrease diversity locally shift composition away forest‐associated species. Management actions promote full range limit size may best conserve fire‐adapted ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Fire-driven animal evolution in the Pyrocene

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 38(11), P. 1072 - 1084

Published: July 19, 2023

Language: Английский

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Quail on fire: changing fire regimes may benefit mountain quail in fire-adapted forests

Fire Ecology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 19(1)

Published: April 3, 2023

Fire-adapted forests in western North America are experiencing rapid changes to fire regimes that outside the range of historic norms. Some habitat-specialist species have been negatively impacted by increases large, high-severity fire, yet, responses many especially at longer time scales, remain ambiguous. We studied response a widely distributed species, mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus), wildfire across Sierra Nevada California, because its habitat selection patterns provided an opportunity evaluate potentially contrasting among specialists. used passive acoustic monitoring > 22,000 km2 and Bayesian hierarchical occupancy modeling conduct first study effects habitat, severity, since (1–35 years) on little-understood management indicator quail. Mountain responded positively neutrally low-moderate-severity fire. Occupancy peaked 6–10 years after remained high even 11–35 area burned severity. Our work demonstrates is strongly related occupancy, which markedly different than previously also concern Nevada. Taken together, our results suggest may actually be "winners" face altered Given forecasted intensification severe wildfires fire-adapted forests, understanding ecology nuanced beyond those historically considered important time-sensitive effort. The relationship between reminder there will both winners losers as dynamics change era climate change.

Language: Английский

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Indigenous pyrodiversity promotes plant diversity

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 291, P. 110479 - 110479

Published: Feb. 7, 2024

Pyrodiversity (temporally and spatially diverse fire histories) is thought to promote biodiversity by increasing environmental heterogeneity replicating Indigenous regimes, yet studies of pyrodiversity-biodiversity relationships from areas under active stewardship are rare. Here, we explored whether pyrodiversity promoted plant richness diversity in an arid ecosystem north-western Australia. We selected landscapes that ranged highly pyrodiverse burning more coarse-scale less mosaics lightning regimes. modelled how the visible (time-since-fire proportion post-fire successional stages) invisible mosaic (fire frequency maximum landscape burnt) influenced diversity, including edible plants. found evidence maintained people increases some groups: time-since-fire was associated with higher total diversity; decreased a had burnt. Additionally, groups, culturally important plants, were sensitive spatial extent specific ages. By linking our previous work shows promotes reduces size, find for notion stewardship, through provision pyrodiversity, diversity. Our highlights importance maintaining promoting fire-prone ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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