Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/26742
Title: Convergence of bark investment according to fire and climate structures ecosystem vulnerability to future change
Contributor(s): Pellegrini, Adam F A (author); Anderegg, William R L (author); Paine, C E Timothy  (author)orcid ; Hoffmann, William A (author); Kartzinel, Tyler (author); Rabin, Sam S (author); Sheil, Douglas (author); Franco, Augusto C (author); Pacala, Stephen W (author)
Publication Date: 2017-03
Early Online Version: 2017-01-11
DOI: 10.1111/ele.12725
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/26742
Abstract: Fire regimes in savannas and forests are changing over much of the world. Anticipating the impact of these changes requires understanding how plants are adapted to fire. In this study, we test whether fire imposes a broad selective force on a key fire-tolerance trait, bark thickness, across 572 tree species distributed worldwide. We show that investment in thick bark is a pervasive adaptation in frequently burned areas across savannas and forests in both temperate and tropical regions where surface fires occur. Geographic variability in bark thickness is largely explained by annual burned area and precipitation seasonality. Combining environmental and species distribution data allowed us to assess vulnerability to future climate and fire conditions: tropical rainforests are especially vulnerable, whereas seasonal forests and savannas are more robust. The strong link between fire and bark thickness provides an avenue for assessing the vulnerability of tree communities to fire and demands inclusion in global models.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Ecology Letters, 20(3), p. 307-316
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Place of Publication: United Kingdom
ISSN: 1461-0248
1461-023X
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 060202 Community Ecology (excl. Invasive Species Ecology)
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 310302 Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology)
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 960806 Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 180606 Terrestrial biodiversity
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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