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Author(s):
Claire N. Foster, Sam C. Banks, Geoffrey J. Cary, Christopher N. Johnson, David B. Lindenmayer, Leonie E. Valentine
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Fire Behavior
Simulation Modeling
Fire & Wildlife
Fuels

NRFSN number: 21116
FRAMES RCS number: 60993
Record updated:

Fire is a powerful ecological and evolutionary force. Animals that modify drivers of fire behaviour could therefore have far-reaching effects on ecosystems. Yet, with a few notable exceptions, effects of animals on fire have been often overlooked. We show how animals can affect fire behaviour by modifying the amount, structure, or condition of fuel or, more rarely, by altering other controls on fire such as wind speed or ignition patterns. Some effects are readily observed and quantified. Others are more subtle but could be considerable when accumulated over time, space, and animal taxa. A combination of manipulative experiments, landscape studies, and multiscale fire models will be necessary to understand the consequences of widespread changes in animal populations for landscape fire.

Citation

Foster, Claire N.; Banks, Sam C.; Cary, Geoffrey J.; Johnson, Christopher N.; Lindenmayer, David B.; Valentine, Leonie E. 2020. Animals as agents in fire regimes. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 35(4):346-356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.01.002

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