Biological and geophysical feedbacks with fire in the Earth system

S. Archibald; C.E.R. Lehmann; C.M. Belcher; W.J. Bond; R.A. Bradstock; A.-L. Daniau; K.G. Dexter; E.J. Forrestel; M. Greve; T. He; S.I. Higgins; W.A. Hoffmann; B.B. Lamont; D.J. McGlinn; G.R. Moncrieff; C.P. Osborne; J.G. Pausas; O. Price; B.S. Ripley; B.M. Rogers; D.W. Schwilk; M.F. Simon; M.R. Turetsky; G.R. Van der Werf; A.E. Zanne

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa9ead

Back

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Biological and geophysical feedbacks with fire in the Earth system

S. Archibald, C.E.R. Lehmann, C.M. Belcher, W.J. Bond, R.A. Bradstock, A.-L. Daniau, K.G. Dexter, E.J. Forrestel, M. Greve, T. He, …

Environmental Research Letters, Vol.13(3)

2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa9ead

Files and links (2)

pdf

Biological and geophysical feedbacks with fire in the Earth system.pdfDownload View

Published (Version of Record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access

url

Free to Read *No subscription requiredView

Abstract

Roughly 3% of the Earth's land surface burns annually, representing a critical exchange of energy and matter between the land and atmosphere via combustion. Fires range from slow smouldering peat fires, to low-intensity surface fires, to intense crown fires, depending on vegetation structure, fuel moisture, prevailing climate, and weather conditions. While the links between biogeochemistry, climate and fire are widely studied within Earth system science, these relationships are also mediated by fuels—namely plants and their litter—that are the product of evolutionary and ecological processes. Fire is a powerful selective force and, over their evolutionary history, plants have evolved traits that both tolerate and promote fire numerous times and across diverse clades. Here we outline a conceptual framework of how plant traits determine the flammability of ecosystems and interact with climate and weather to influence fire regimes. We explore how these evolutionary and ecological processes scale to impact biogeochemical and Earth system processes. Finally, we outline several research challenges that, when resolved, will improve our understanding of the role of plant evolution in mediating the fire feedbacks driving Earth system processes. Understanding current patterns of fire and vegetation, as well as patterns of fire over geological time, requires research that incorporates evolutionary biology, ecology, biogeography, and the biogeosciences.

Details

Title: Biological and geophysical feedbacks with fire in the Earth system
Authors/Creators: S. Archibald (Author/Creator) - University of the Witwatersrand
C.E.R. Lehmann (Author/Creator) - University of the Witwatersrand
C.M. Belcher (Author/Creator) - University of Exeter
W.J. Bond (Author/Creator) - South African Environmental Observation Network
R.A. Bradstock (Author/Creator) - University of Wollongong
A.-L. Daniau (Author/Creator) - Université de Bordeaux
K.G. Dexter (Author/Creator) - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
E.J. Forrestel (Author/Creator) - University of California, Davis
M. Greve (Author/Creator) - University of Pretoria
T. He (Author/Creator) - Curtin University
S.I. Higgins (Author/Creator) - University of Bayreuth
W.A. Hoffmann (Author/Creator) - North Carolina State University
B.B. Lamont (Author/Creator) - Curtin University
D.J. McGlinn (Author/Creator) - College of Charleston
G.R. Moncrieff (Author/Creator) - South African Environmental Observation Network
C.P. Osborne (Author/Creator) - University of Sheffield
J.G. Pausas (Author/Creator) - CIDE-CSIC, Carretera CV-315, Km 10.7, Montcada, Valencia, Spain
O. Price (Author/Creator) - University of Wollongong
B.S. Ripley (Author/Creator) - Rhodes University
B.M. Rogers (Author/Creator) - Woodwell Climate Research Center
D.W. Schwilk (Author/Creator) - Texas Tech University
M.F. Simon (Author/Creator) - Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
M.R. Turetsky (Author/Creator) - University of Guelph
G.R. Van der Werf (Author/Creator) - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
A.E. Zanne (Author/Creator) - George Washington University
Publication Details: Environmental Research Letters, Vol.13(3)
Publisher: IOP Publishing Ltd
Identifiers: 991005542486307891
Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s)
Murdoch Affiliation: Murdoch University
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites

Metrics

8 File views/ downloads

46 Record Views

155 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.40 Forestry; 3.40.1598 Wildfire Dynamics
Web Of Science research areas: Environmental Sciences; Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
ESI research areas: Environment/Ecology