Decadal changes in fire frequencies shift tree communities and functional traits

Adam F A Pellegrini^{1

2}, Tyler Refsland³, Colin Averill⁴, César Terrer^{5

6}, A Carla Staver⁷, Dale G Brockway⁸, Anthony Caprio⁹, Wayne Clatterbuck¹⁰, Corli Coetsee^{11

12}, James D Haywood¹³, Sarah E Hobbie¹⁴, William A Hoffmann¹⁵, John Kush¹⁶, Tom Lewis¹⁷, W Keith Moser¹⁸, Steven T Overby¹⁸, William A Patterson 3rd¹⁹, Kabir G Peay²⁰, Peter B Reich^{21

22}, Casey Ryan²³, Mary Anne S Sayer¹³, Bryant C Scharenbroch²⁴, Tania Schoennagel²⁵, Gabriel Reuben Smith^{4

20}, Kirsten Stephan²⁶, Chris Swanston²⁷, Monica G Turner²⁸, J Morgan Varner²⁹, Robert B Jackson^{5

30

31}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. afapellegrini@gmail.com.
² Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. afapellegrini@gmail.com.
³ Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
⁴ Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
⁵ Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁶ Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁸ Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Auburn, AL, USA.
⁹ National Parks Service, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Three Rivers, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
¹¹ Scientific Services, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza, South Africa.
¹² School of Natural Resource Management, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
¹³ Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Pineville, LA, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
¹⁶ School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁸ Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
¹⁹ Forestry Program, Holdsworth Natural Resources Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
²⁰ Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
²¹ Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
²² Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
²³ School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
²⁴ College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, USA.
²⁵ Department of Geography, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
²⁶ Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
²⁷ Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Houghton, MI, USA.
²⁸ Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
²⁹ Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
³⁰ Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
³¹ Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

PMID: 33633371
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01401-7

Decadal changes in fire frequencies shift tree communities and functional traits

Adam F A Pellegrini et al. Nat Ecol Evol. 2021 Apr.

. 2021 Apr;5(4):504-512.

doi: 10.1038/s41559-021-01401-7. Epub 2021 Feb 25.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. afapellegrini@gmail.com.
² Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. afapellegrini@gmail.com.
³ Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
⁴ Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
⁵ Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁶ Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁸ Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Auburn, AL, USA.
⁹ National Parks Service, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Three Rivers, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
¹¹ Scientific Services, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza, South Africa.
¹² School of Natural Resource Management, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
¹³ Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Pineville, LA, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
¹⁶ School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁸ Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
¹⁹ Forestry Program, Holdsworth Natural Resources Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
²⁰ Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
²¹ Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
²² Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
²³ School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
²⁴ College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, USA.
²⁵ Department of Geography, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
²⁶ Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
²⁷ Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Houghton, MI, USA.
²⁸ Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
²⁹ Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
³⁰ Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
³¹ Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

PMID: 33633371
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01401-7

Abstract

Global change has resulted in chronic shifts in fire regimes. Variability in the sensitivity of tree communities to multi-decadal changes in fire regimes is critical to anticipating shifts in ecosystem structure and function, yet remains poorly understood. Here, we address the overall effects of fire on tree communities and the factors controlling their sensitivity in 29 sites that experienced multi-decadal alterations in fire frequencies in savanna and forest ecosystems across tropical and temperate regions. Fire had a strong overall effect on tree communities, with an average fire frequency (one fire every three years) reducing stem density by 48% and basal area by 53% after 50 years, relative to unburned plots. The largest changes occurred in savanna ecosystems and in sites with strong wet seasons or strong dry seasons, pointing to fire characteristics and species composition as important. Analyses of functional traits highlighted the impact of fire-driven changes in soil nutrients because frequent burning favoured trees with low biomass nitrogen and phosphorus content, and with more efficient nitrogen acquisition through ectomycorrhizal symbioses. Taken together, the response of trees to altered fire frequencies depends both on climatic and vegetation determinants of fire behaviour and tree growth, and the coupling between fire-driven nutrient losses and plant traits.

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References

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Decadal changes in fire frequencies shift tree communities and functional traits

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Decadal changes in fire frequencies shift tree communities and functional traits

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Abstract

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