Poden conviure el bosc i el foc? : nous avenços de la recerca en ecologia del foc

Authors

  • Josep Maria Espelta

Abstract

Fire is a natural ecological factor, but fire frequency and fire expansion have been modified by human activities. The present wildfire regime in most Mediterranean-type climate areas is characterized by an increase in the number, recurrence and size of fires. Moreover, increasing warming and drought episodes due to climate change in this ecological scenario may challenge the functional response of ecosystems and induce changes in the structure and species composition of Mediterranean communities. In spite of the well known resilience of Mediterranean-type ecosystems to fire, recent studies have demonstrated that this response is not applicable to all communities and that, even species with a successful regeneration after fire, due to resprouting or the presence of seed banks, may be threatened by an increase in the frequency, intensity and size of fires and/or the occurrence of other disturbances (e.g. drought). To what extent these effects could be modified by different management strategies remains to be further investigated.

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Published

2008-11-06