Fire ecology

Abstract

Wildland fire is perhaps the most influential disturbance over vast areas in the modern world (Bowman et al. 2009). Fire is both a natural and anthropogenic disturbance influencing the distribution, structure, and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems around the world (Bond et al. 2005; Scott et al. 2014). Many plants and animals depend on fire for their continued existence, and those that don’t, such as rainforest and tundra plants, are extremely intolerant of burning (DeBano et al. 1998). A sound understanding of the interactions of biotic and abiotic ecosystem elements on fire dynamics and the effects of fire on ecosystems is an essential prerequisite for effectively managing this widespread ecological process (Agee 1993, 1997; Scott et al. 2014). The study of the interactions of wildland fire with the biota and biophysical setting is the essence of fire ecology. Background, concepts, and extensive examples, some of which were taken from Bond and Keane (2017), are presented to explain the field of fire ecology, which is critical in understanding the origins, history, and importance of fire in shaping ecosystems of the world.

Citation

Keane, Robert E. 2019. Fire ecology. In: Manzello, Samuel L., ed. Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. 12 p.