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Can trophic rewilding reduce the impact of fire in a more flammable world?
Citation
Johnson, CN and Prior, LD and Archibald, S and Poulos, HM and Barton, AM and Williamson, GJ and Bowman, DMJS, Can trophic rewilding reduce the impact of fire in a more flammable world?, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 373, (1761) Article 20170443. ISSN 0962-8436 (2018) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2018 The Authors Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
DOI: doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0443
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.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | herbivory, megaherbivore, fire regime, plant-animal interactions, pyrogeography, ecosystem engineer, fire, rewilding, biodiversity, megafauna |
| Research Division: | Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
| Research Group: | Forestry Sciences |
| Research Field: | Forestry Fire Management |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity |
| Objective Field: | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales |
| UTAS Author: | Johnson, CN (Professor Christopher Johnson) |
| UTAS Author: | Prior, LD (Dr Lynda Prior) |
| UTAS Author: | Williamson, GJ (Dr Grant Williamson) |
| UTAS Author: | Bowman, DMJS (Professor David Bowman) |
| ID Code: | 128894 |
| Year Published: | 2018 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 4 |
| Deposited By: | Plant Science |
| Deposited On: | 2018-10-23 |
| Last Modified: | 2019-03-26 |
| Downloads: | 58 View Download Statistics |
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