Fundamentals of wildland fire impacts and ecology Scale, biological organisation, and ecological sub-disciplines; evolution of fire-adaptive traits

• Published in: Ecology of Fire-Dependent Ecosystems Vol. 1; pp. 65 - 84
• Main Authors: McGranahan, Devan Allen, Wonkka, Carissa L.
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: CRC Press 2021
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Mediterranean Type Ecosystems; High Heat Exposure; Burned Area; Melanistic Form; Landscape Ecology; Fire Dependent Ecosystems; Fire Prone Landscapes; Fireline Intensity; Community Ecology; Fire Return Interval; Ecosystem Service Delivery; Crown Fires; Prairie Chickens; Selective Force; Seed Coat Thickness; Fire Tolerant Species; Burn Perimeter; Canyonlands National Park; Characteristic Fire Regime; Fire Prone Ecosystems; Fire Regime; Fire Effects; Fire Adaptations; Seed Release
• ISBN: 1138597171; 9781138597150; 9781138597174; 1138597155
• DOI: 10.1201/9780429487095-05

This chapter introduces the subject of scale in fire science, reviews levels of hierarchical organisation important to understanding ecological effects, and discusses fire-related adaptations. Fire can affect all levels of organisation, but fire effects and mechanisms can differ among levels. Landscape ecology, with its focus on explicit spatial context, is particularly important to understanding fire ecology. A common focus of landscape ecology is how disturbances both create and respond to the pattern of biophysical components of ecosystems on the landscape. Fire affects the Earth's physical environment along both temporal and spatial dimensions: short-term vs. long-term, and from local to global scales. Fire can have indirect effects on cultural resources as well. These are most often associated with management operations and post-fire restoration activities. Many organisms in fire-dependent ecosystems have traits that allow them to survive and even thrive with fire. A suite of organismal traits are associated with fire-dependent ecosystems.