The impacts of rising vapour pressure deficit in natural and managed ecosystems

Plant Cell & Environment, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 47(9), С. 3561 - 3589

Опубликована: Фев. 13, 2024

An exponential rise in the atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD) is among most consequential impacts of climate change terrestrial ecosystems. Rising VPD has negative and cascading effects on nearly all aspects plant function including photosynthesis, water status, growth survival. These responses are exacerbated by land-atmosphere interactions that couple to soil govern evolution drought, affecting a range ecosystem services carbon uptake, biodiversity, provisioning resources crop yields. However, despite global nature this phenomenon, research how incorporate these into resilient management regimes largely its infancy, due part entanglement trends with those other co-evolving drivers. Here, we review mechanistic bases at spatial scales, paying particular attention independent interactive influence context environmental changes. We then evaluate consequences within key contexts, resources, croplands, wildfire risk mitigation natural grasslands forests. conclude recommendations describing could be altered mitigate otherwise highly deleterious rising VPD.

Язык: Английский

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Plant hydraulics at the heart of plant, crops and ecosystem functions in the face of climate change

New Phytologist, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 241(3), С. 984 - 999

Опубликована: Дек. 14, 2023

Summary Plant hydraulics is crucial for assessing the plants' capacity to extract and transport water from soil up their aerial organs. Along with exchange between plant compartments regulate evaporation, hydraulic properties determine relations, status susceptibility pathogen attacks. Consequently, any variation in characteristics of plants likely significantly impact various mechanisms processes related growth, survival production, as well risk biotic attacks forest fire behaviour. However, integration traits into disciplines such pathology, entomology, ecology or agriculture can be improved. This review examines how provide new insights our understanding these processes, including modelling vegetation dynamics, illuminating numerous perspectives consequences climate change on agronomic systems, addressing unanswered questions across multiple areas knowledge.

Язык: Английский

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Principles of fire ecology

Fire Ecology, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 20(1)

Опубликована: Апрель 24, 2024

Abstract Fire ecology is a complex discipline that can only be understood by integrating biological, physical, and social sciences. The science of fire explores wildland fire’s mechanisms effects across all scales time space. However, the lack defined, organizing concepts in dilutes its collective impact on knowledge management decision-making makes vulnerable to misunderstanding misappropriation. has matured as deserves an enunciation unique emergent principles organization. Most scientific disciplines have established theories, laws, been tested, debated, adopted discipline’s practitioners. Such reflect consensus current knowledge, guide methodology interpretation, expose gaps coherent structured way. In this manuscript, we introduce five comprehensive define produced provide framework support continued development discipline.

Язык: Английский

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A Review of Leaf-Level Flammability Traits in Eucalypt Trees

Fire, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 7(6), С. 183 - 183

Опубликована: Май 28, 2024

With more frequent and intense fires expected under future climate conditions, it is important to understand the mechanisms that control flammability in Australian forests. We followed a systematic review approach determine which physical traits make eucalypts leaves or less flammable. Specifically, we reviewed 20 studies covered 35 eucalypt species across five countries found leaf water content, area (LA), specific (SLA) are main drivers of flammability. These easy straightforward measure, while laborious (e.g., volatile organic compounds structural carbohydrates) seldom measured reported. Leaf also varies with species, and, biochemistry plays role how burn, minor fire behaviour at landscape scales. This highlights range different protocols used measure warranting caution when comparing results between studies. As result, propose standardised protocol content advocate for long-term measurements study not only contributes understanding why burn but encourages research into relative importance influencing provides guide selecting can be monitored using satellite images inform management policies strategies.

Язык: Английский

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Landscape controls on fuel moisture variability in fire-prone heathland and peatland landscapes

Fire Ecology, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 20(1)

Опубликована: Янв. 30, 2024

Abstract Background Cross-landscape fuel moisture content is highly variable but not considered in existing fire danger assessments. Capturing complexity and its associated controls critical for understanding wildfire behavior emerging fire-prone environments that are influenced by local heterogeneity. This particularly true temperate heathland peatland landscapes exhibit spatial differences the vulnerability of their globally important carbon stores to wildfire. Here we quantified range variability live dead Calluna vulgaris across a landscape through an intensive sampling campaign conducted North Yorkshire Moors, UK. We also evaluated (soil texture, canopy age, aspect, slope) micrometeorological (temperature, relative humidity, vapor pressure deficit, windspeed) drivers heathlands peatlands first time. Results observed high cross-landscape variation, which created discontinuity availability fuels spread (fuel < 65%) organic layer smoldering combustion 250%). heterogeneity was most spring, peak season these ecosystems. Landscape factors explained up 72% variation were season- fuel-layer-dependent. predominantly controlled beyond modifying micrometeorology. Accounting direct landscape–fuel relationships could improve estimates, as estimates derived solely from observations will exclude underlying influence characteristics. hypothesize soil aspect play roles layers examined, with main processes arising between live, dead, surface/ground fuels. highlight role phenology assessing variations environments. Conclusions Understanding mechanisms driving opens opportunities develop locally robust models input into rating systems, adding versatility assessments management tool.

Язык: Английский

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Methods to assess fire-induced tree mortality: review of fire behaviour proxy and real fire experiments

International Journal of Wildland Fire, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 34(1)

Опубликована: Янв. 7, 2025

Background The increased interest in why and how trees die from fire has led to several syntheses of the potential mechanisms fire-induced tree mortality. However, these generally neglect consider experimental methods used simulate behaviour conditions. Aims To describe, evaluate appropriateness provide a historical timeline different approaches that have been mortality studies. Methods We conducted review actual proxy further our understanding Key results Most studies assess laboratory settings make use proxies instead real fires cut branches live plants. Implications Further research should using plants paired combustion landscape experiments.

Язык: Английский

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Combining ecophysiology and combustion traits to predict conifer live fuel moisture content: a pyro-ecophysiological approach

Fire Ecology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 21(1)

Опубликована: Апрель 7, 2025

Язык: Английский

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Nonstructural carbohydrates explain post-fire tree mortality and recovery patterns

Tree Physiology, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 44(2)

Опубликована: Дек. 20, 2023

Abstract Trees use nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) to support many functions, including recovery from disturbances. However, NSC’s importance for following fire and whether NSC depletion contributes post-fire delayed mortality are largely unknown. We investigated how affects NSCs based on fire-caused injury a prescribed in young Pinus ponderosa (Lawson & C. Lawson) stand. assessed crown (needle scorch bud kill) measured of needles inner bark (i.e., secondary phloem) branches main stems trees subject at an adjacent unburned site. pre-fire six timesteps (4 days–16 months). While all initially survived the fire, concentrations declined quickly burned relative controls over same period. This decline was strongest that eventually died, but those recovered levels within 14 months post-fire. Two post-fire, relationship between stem strongly negative (Adj-R2 = 0.83). Our results tree survival suggest is part related reduced photosynthetic leaf area subsequently limits carbohydrate availability maintaining function. Crown commonly metric tree-level severity often linked outcome or mortality). Thus, our finding may be mechanistic link will help improve models forest recovery.

Язык: Английский

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The global drivers of wildfire

Frontiers in Environmental Science, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 12

Опубликована: Сен. 6, 2024

Changes in wildfire regimes are of growing concern and raise issues about how well we can model risks a changing climate. Process-based coupled fire-vegetation models, used to project future regimes, capture many aspects poorly. However, there is now wealth information from empirical studies on the climate, vegetation, topography human activity controls regimes. The measures quantify these vary among studies, but certain variables consistently emerge as most important: gross primary production measure fuel availability, vegetation cover continuity, atmospheric humidity drying. Contrary popular perception, ignitions generally not limiting factor for wildfires. In this review, describe fire models implement processes, synthesise current understanding extent severity, suggest ways which modelling could be improved.

Язык: Английский

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Managing fire‐prone forests in a time of decreasing carbon carrying capacity

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Сен. 9, 2024

Changing climatic conditions are increasing overstory tree mortality in forests globally. This restructuring of the distribution biomass is making already flammable more combustible, posing a major challenge for managing transition to lower state. In western US dry conifer forests, density resulting from over century fire‐exclusion practices has increased risk high‐severity wildfire and susceptibility climate‐driven mortality. Reducing dead fuel loads will require new approaches mitigate remaining live trees by preparing withstand future wildfire. Here, we used data Teakettle Experimental Forest California evaluate different prescribed fire burn frequencies their impact on accumulated fuels after 4‐year drought. Increasing frequency could reduce surface build‐up but comes with additional challenges that creativity experimentation overcome.

Язык: Английский

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