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The role of holm oak edges in the control of disturbance and conservation of plant diversity in fire-prone landscapes

dc.contributor.authorAzevedo, João
dc.contributor.authorPossacos, Anabela
dc.contributor.authorAguiar, Carlos
dc.contributor.authorAmado, Anabela
dc.contributor.authorMiguel, Luis
dc.contributor.authorDias, Rui
dc.contributor.authorLoureiro, Carlos
dc.contributor.authorFernandes, Paulo M.
dc.date.accessioned2013-04-02T13:19:40Z
dc.date.available2013-04-02T13:19:40Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractHolm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) woodlands have been able to persist in fire-prone landscapes in northern Portugal where they seem to play a relevant role in community and landscape level patterns and processes, namely in the control of disturbance events and in the maintenance of biodiversity. In this research we tested the following hypotheses: (i) holm oak woodlands affect fire behavior, mainly by disrupting and delaying fire spread; (ii) disruption and delaying of fire spread is due to fire extinction at the edge of woodlands; and (iii) plant diversity is favored by frequent low-intensity fires as a result of the control of fire spread by holm oak woodland edges. We sampled herbaceous, shrub and tree structure and herbaceous plant composition across edges of holm oak woodlands with known recent contact with fire. Using BehavePlus we converted structural data into fuel models and simulated fire behavior for the locations sampled along the exterior–interior gradient of the woodlands. Our results indicate that holm oak woodlands play a relevant role in the control of fire spread and in the maintenance of plant diversity. We found differences in simulated maximum rate of fire spread (ROS) and fireline intensity (FLI) between outside and inside woodlands as well as a 100% probability of fire extinction when fuel moisture was >12% and wind speed at 10 m aboveground was <40 km h 1, supporting the self-extinction hypothesis. We found also that richness and abundance of herbaceous plants varied between the interior and exterior of the woodland, with higher values outside the woodland, and that plant composition along the interior–exterior gradient had distinct patterns. These variables and the pattern of plant distribution were also significantly affected by time since last fire event. We conclude that holm oak woodlands affect fire behavior by interrupting fire spread at the edge zone and that fire-created edges affect herbaceous plant species richness, abundance and distribution by maintaining habitat diversity, which increased plant diversity at patch and landscape levels. Based on our results and other evidence, we developed a conceptual model of the dynamics of fire, landscape structure, and plant diversity in fire-prone landscapes where holm oak patches persist.por
dc.identifier.citationAzevedo, João; Possacos, Anabela; Aguiar, Carlos; Amado, Anabela; Miguel, Luis; Dias, Rui; Loureiro, Carlos; Fernandes, Paulo (2013). The role of holm oak edges in the control of disturbance and conservation of plant diversity in fire-prone landscapes. Forest Ecology and Management. ISSN 0378-1127. 297, p. 37–48por
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.foreco.2013.02.007
dc.identifier.issn0378-1127
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/8301
dc.language.isoengpor
dc.peerreviewedyespor
dc.publisherElsevierpor
dc.subjectEdgespor
dc.subjectFire behaviorpor
dc.subjectPlant diversitypor
dc.subjectQuercus rotundifoliapor
dc.subjectMediterranean regionpor
dc.subjectPortugalpor
dc.titleThe role of holm oak edges in the control of disturbance and conservation of plant diversity in fire-prone landscapespor
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.endPage48por
oaire.citation.startPage37por
oaire.citation.titleForest Ecology and Managementpor
oaire.citation.volume297por
person.familyNameAzevedo
person.familyNameAguiar
person.givenNameJoão C.
person.givenNameCarlos
person.identifier.ciencia-id3F1F-0829-5878
person.identifier.ciencia-id5912-C8F4-7686
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-3061-8261
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-8643-7112
person.identifier.ridI-3933-2014
person.identifier.scopus-author-id54413830100
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspor
rcaap.typearticlepor
relation.isAuthorOfPublicatione15b0e75-689e-4be0-942c-1958cfefdb0f
relation.isAuthorOfPublicatione0f72c9d-ad86-44ee-a41e-c02a70dc6336
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoverye15b0e75-689e-4be0-942c-1958cfefdb0f

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