Can trophic rewilding reduce the impact of fire in a more flammable world?

Christopher N Johnson; Lynda D Prior; Sally Archibald; Helen M Poulos; Andrew M Barton; Grant J Williamson; David M J S Bowman

doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0443

Can trophic rewilding reduce the impact of fire in a more flammable world?

Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2018 Oct 22;373(1761):20170443. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0443.

Authors

Christopher N Johnson¹, Lynda D Prior², Sally Archibald³, Helen M Poulos⁴, Andrew M Barton⁵, Grant J Williamson², David M J S Bowman²

Affiliations

¹ School of Natural Sciences and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia c.n.johnson@utas.edu.au.
² School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
³ Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁴ College of the Environment, Wesleyan University, 284 High St., Middletown, CT 06459, USA.
⁵ Department of Biology, University of Maine at Farmington, 173 High Street, Preble Hall, Farmington, ME 04938, USA.

Abstract

Large vertebrates affect fire regimes in several ways: by consuming plant matter that would otherwise accumulate as fuel; by controlling and varying the density of vegetation; and by engineering the soil and litter layer. These processes can regulate the frequency, intensity and extent of fire. The evidence for these effects is strongest in environments with intermediate rainfall, warm temperatures and graminoid-dominated ground vegetation. Probably, extinction of Quaternary megafauna triggered increased biomass burning in many such environments. Recent and continuing declines of large vertebrates are likely to be significant contributors to changes in fire regimes and vegetation that are currently being experienced in many parts of the world. To date, rewilding projects that aim to restore large herbivores have paid little attention to the value of large animals in moderating fire regimes. Rewilding potentially offers a powerful tool for managing the risks of wildfire and its impacts on natural and human values.This article is part of the theme issue 'Trophic rewilding: consequences for ecosystems under global change'.

Keywords: ecosystem engineer; fire regime; herbivory; megaherbivore; plant–animal interactions; pyrogeography.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Biomass*
Climate Change*
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Ecosystem
Fires*
Herbivory*
Vertebrates / physiology*

Associated data

figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4228007