INVESTIGADORES
KITZBERGER Thomas
artículos
Título:
Fire-vegetation feedbacks and alternative states: common mechanisms of temperate forest vulnerability to fire in southern South America and New Zealand
Autor/es:
KITZBERGER, T.; PERRY, GLW; PARITSIS, J.; GOWDA, J.H.; TEPLEY A.J.; HOLZ, S.C.; VEBLEN, T.T.
Revista:
New Zealand Journal of Botany
Editorial:
RSNZ PUBLISHING
Referencias:
Lugar: Auckland; Año: 2016 vol. 54 p. 247 - 272
ISSN:
0028-825X
Resumen:
In the context of global warming and increasing impacts of invasiveplants and animals, we examine how positive fire?vegetationfeedbacks are increasing the vulnerability of pyrophobictemperate forests to conversion to pyrophytic non-forestvegetation in southern South America and New Zealand. Weextensively review the relevant literature to reveal how thesetemperate southern hemisphere floras have generated similarpositive fire?vegetation feedback mechanisms resulting inincreased vulnerability to anthropogenically altered fire regimens.For the two regions, we address the following questions. 1. Whatare the major plant species, physiognomic types and functionaltypes characteristic of pyrophytic versus pyrophobic vegetationtypes and how do their traits affect flammability, resistance to fireand recovery after fire? 2. What are the roles of herbivory andmicroclimate in enhancing fire?vegetation feedbacks? 3. Are theresimilarities in trends of cover type transitions in relation to alteredfire regimens? 4. How are climate change, land-use trends and theeffects of introduced plants and animals affecting the vulnerabilityof these ecosystems to fire-induced transitions to alternativestable states? Most temperate forests of New Zealand andsouthern South America evolved under conditions of low firefrequencies so few taxa became adapted to recurrent fire. Currentdichotomous landscapes consisting of juxtaposed pyrophobic andpyrophytic vegetation types are the outcome of the expansion offire-resilient and fire-promoting species associated with the arrivalof humans. Despite considerable differences in human history andbiogeographic history, the case studies presented here showremarkable parallels in life-history traits of the key pyrophobictaxa, fire?vegetation feedback mechanisms, overall ecosystemresponses to anthropogenic alteration of fire regimens, and likelyvulnerability to expected global change influences on future fireregimens.