Hurricane and fire effects in savanna-forest landscapes

ISBN-13: 9783639128093 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 124 str.

Heather A. Passmore

Opis

Sequential large-scale disturbances may produceinteracting effects that differ from those predictedfor each disturbance in isolation. These non-additiveeffects can strongly influence the composition andstructure of plant communities. Hurricanes andnatural lightning-season fires are large-scale,frequent disturbances in savanna-forest landscapes ofthe southeastern US. Passmore develops a predictiveconceptual model for interacting disturbances. Shepredicts that hurricane-fire interactions mayinfluence ecotones between savannas and forests bychanging species composition and structure. Based onpredictions, Passmore implemented an experimentalstudy in savanna-forest ecotone to test hypotheses ofinteractive effects. She hypothesized that effects oflightning-season fires differ when fires occur alonecompared to when fires are preceded by hurricanes.Disturbance interactions reduced stem density andspecies richness of woody plants in the field study.Thus, hurricane-fire interactions influencevegetation structure in savanna-forest ecotones. Furthermore, over longer time scales interactions mayresult in landscape-level changes in southeasternsavanna-forest ecosystems.

O autorze

Dr. Passmore enjoys using prescribed fire as an experimental and
management tool in longleaf pine savannas. She has explored the
ecology of native plant communities in savannas, deserts,
tropical rainforests, montane forests and páramo. She strives to
do ecological research that informs conservation and restoration
of native plant communities.