Cumulative effects of fire and drought in Mediterranean ecosystems
Abstract
Here, the occurrence of multiple disturbances can jointly affect the recovery capacity of ecosystems, potentially leading to changes in vegetation dynamics or loss of resilience. The effects of interacting disturbances on ecosystems are, however, not well understood. We use a model system based on Mediterraneantype ecosystems (MTEs) to examine how the interplay between vegetation regeneration traits and compound, stochastic disturbances modulate ecosystem dynamics. We developed a state-and-transition simulation model including two tree species with contrasting regeneration strategies (seeder vs. resprouter) and a shrubland formation. We aim to assess potential compositional switches under contrasted scenarios of compound fire-drought regimes, and to characterize the cumulative effects of fire-drought (synergism vs. antagonism) relative to the effects of individual disturbance regimes. Our simulation results indicate that interaction between moderate fire and sporadic drought recurrence-as opposed to chronic dryness-can act as a strong mechanism generating highly heterogeneous landscapes in which different regeneration types coexist, as observed in MTEs. Resprouters dominated under individual, moderate disturbance regimes of fire or drought, whereas the interaction of the two disturbances promoted the longterm coexistence of both tree regeneration strategies. However, shrubland expansion and persistence at the expanse of forests was favored by increases in drought recurrence and associated fire-droughtmore »
- Authors:
-
- CREAF Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona (Spain); CTFC, Solsona (Spain)
- CREAF Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona (Spain); InForest Joint Research Unit (CTFC-CEMFOR), Solsona (Spain); CSIC, Cerdanyola del Valles (Spain)
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
- CREAF Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona (Spain); Univ. Autonoma Barcelona, Barcelona (Spain)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1479323
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Ecosphere
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 2150-8925
- Publisher:
- Ecological Society of America
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 58 GEOSCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; additive model; climatic change; compound disturbance regimes; cumulative effects; drought; ecosystem resilience; fire; Mediterranean ecosystems; regeneration traits; sequence of events
Citation Formats
Batllori, Enric, De Cáceres, Miquel, Brotons, Lluís, Ackerly, David D., Moritz, Max A., and Lloret, Francisco. Cumulative effects of fire and drought in Mediterranean ecosystems. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1002/ecs2.1906.
Batllori, Enric, De Cáceres, Miquel, Brotons, Lluís, Ackerly, David D., Moritz, Max A., & Lloret, Francisco. Cumulative effects of fire and drought in Mediterranean ecosystems. United States. doi:10.1002/ecs2.1906.
Batllori, Enric, De Cáceres, Miquel, Brotons, Lluís, Ackerly, David D., Moritz, Max A., and Lloret, Francisco. Fri .
"Cumulative effects of fire and drought in Mediterranean ecosystems". United States. doi:10.1002/ecs2.1906. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1479323.
@article{osti_1479323,
title = {Cumulative effects of fire and drought in Mediterranean ecosystems},
author = {Batllori, Enric and De Cáceres, Miquel and Brotons, Lluís and Ackerly, David D. and Moritz, Max A. and Lloret, Francisco},
abstractNote = {Here, the occurrence of multiple disturbances can jointly affect the recovery capacity of ecosystems, potentially leading to changes in vegetation dynamics or loss of resilience. The effects of interacting disturbances on ecosystems are, however, not well understood. We use a model system based on Mediterraneantype ecosystems (MTEs) to examine how the interplay between vegetation regeneration traits and compound, stochastic disturbances modulate ecosystem dynamics. We developed a state-and-transition simulation model including two tree species with contrasting regeneration strategies (seeder vs. resprouter) and a shrubland formation. We aim to assess potential compositional switches under contrasted scenarios of compound fire-drought regimes, and to characterize the cumulative effects of fire-drought (synergism vs. antagonism) relative to the effects of individual disturbance regimes. Our simulation results indicate that interaction between moderate fire and sporadic drought recurrence-as opposed to chronic dryness-can act as a strong mechanism generating highly heterogeneous landscapes in which different regeneration types coexist, as observed in MTEs. Resprouters dominated under individual, moderate disturbance regimes of fire or drought, whereas the interaction of the two disturbances promoted the longterm coexistence of both tree regeneration strategies. However, shrubland expansion and persistence at the expanse of forests was favored by increases in drought recurrence and associated fire-drought interactions, highlighting the potential for important vegetation changes in MTEs under climate change. Overall, the cumulative effects of fire and drought can lead to distinct landscape configurations under moderate disturbance regimes that are otherwise only attained under high frequency of individual disturbances. At the ecosystem level, however, we suggest that disturbance-induced vegetation dynamics can modify vegetation sensitivity and resilience to further disturbances precluding the prevalence of synergistic effects of the two disturbances.},
doi = {10.1002/ecs2.1906},
journal = {Ecosphere},
number = 8,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {8}
}
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Disturbance interactions: characterization, prediction, and the potential for cascading effects
journal, April 2015
- Buma, B.
- Ecosphere, Vol. 6, Issue 4
State-and-transition simulation models: a framework for forecasting landscape change
journal, July 2016
- Daniel, Colin J.; Frid, Leonardo; Sleeter, Benjamin M.
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 7, Issue 11
Analysis of large fires in European Mediterranean landscapes: Lessons learned and perspectives
journal, April 2013
- San-Miguel-Ayanz, Jesús; Moreno, Jose Manuel; Camia, Andrea
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 294
Landscape-scale density-dependent recruitment of oaks in planted forests: More is not always better
journal, August 2013
- Sheffer, Efrat; Canham, Charles D.; Kigel, Jaime
- Ecology, Vol. 94, Issue 8
Changes in Fire and Climate in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula (Mediterranean Basin)
journal, April 2004
- Pausas, Juli G.
- Climatic Change, Vol. 63, Issue 3
Interactive and cumulative effects of multiple human stressors in marine systems
journal, December 2008
- Crain, Caitlin Mullan; Kroeker, Kristy; Halpern, Benjamin S.
- Ecology Letters, Vol. 11, Issue 12
Effects of fire frequency on species composition in a Mediterranean shrubland
journal, December 2008
- Vilà-Cabrera, Albert; Saura-Mas, Sandra; Lloret, Francisco
- Écoscience, Vol. 15, Issue 4
Global patterns in the sensitivity of burned area to fire-weather: Implications for climate change
journal, December 2015
- Bedia, Joaquín; Herrera, Sixto; Gutiérrez, Jose Manuel
- Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 214-215
Effects of fire severity and post-fire climate on short-term vegetation recovery of mixed-conifer and red fir forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California
journal, December 2015
- Meng, Ran; Dennison, Philip E.; Huang, Chengquan
- Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 171
Towards understanding resprouting at the global scale
journal, October 2015
- Pausas, Juli G.; Pratt, R. Brandon; Keeley, Jon E.
- New Phytologist, Vol. 209, Issue 3
Coexistence in Disturbance‐Prone Communities: How a Resistance‐Resilience Trade‐Off Generates Coexistence via the Storage Effect
journal, February 2009
- Miller, Adam D.; Chesson, Peter
- The American Naturalist, Vol. 173, Issue 2
Seedling emergence and growth of Quercus spp. following severe drought effects on a Pinus sylvestris canopy
journal, September 2012
- Galiano, Lucía; Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi; Eugenio, Màrcia
- Journal of Vegetation Science, Vol. 24, Issue 3
Indication of antagonistic interaction between climate change and erosion on plant species richness and soil properties in semiarid Mediterranean ecosystems
journal, February 2009
- GarcÍA-Fayos, Patricio; Bochet, Esther
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 15, Issue 2
Sequential Disturbance Effects of Hailstorm and Fire on Vegetation in a Mediterranean-Type Ecosystem
journal, May 2015
- Gower, K.; Fontaine, J. B.; Birnbaum, C.
- Ecosystems, Vol. 18, Issue 7
A review of the development of Mediterranean pine–oak ecosystems after land abandonment and afforestation: are they novel ecosystems?
journal, February 2012
- Sheffer, Efrat
- Annals of Forest Science, Vol. 69, Issue 4
Interactions among ecosystem stressors and their importance in conservation
journal, February 2016
- Côté, Isabelle M.; Darling, Emily S.; Brown, Christopher J.
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 283, Issue 1824
Multiple Disturbance Interactions and Drought Influence fire Severity in Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forests
journal, November 2005
- Bigler, Christof; Kulakowski, Dominik; Veblen, Thomas T.
- Ecology, Vol. 86, Issue 11
Disturbance and landscape dynamics in a changing world
journal, October 2010
- Turner, Monica G.
- Ecology, Vol. 91, Issue 10
Terrestrial Gross Carbon Dioxide Uptake: Global Distribution and Covariation with Climate
journal, July 2010
- Beer, C.; Reichstein, M.; Tomelleri, E.
- Science, Vol. 329, Issue 5993
The outstanding synergy between drought, heatwaves and fuel on the 2007 Southern Greece exceptional fire season
journal, March 2016
- Gouveia, Célia M.; Bistinas, Ioannis; Liberato, Margarida L. R.
- Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 218-219
Large-scale recruitment limitation in Mediterranean pines: the role of Quercus ilex and forest successional advance as key regional drivers : Large-scale pine recruitment limitation
journal, September 2013
- Carnicer, Jofre; Coll, Marta; Pons, Xavier
- Global Ecology and Biogeography, Vol. 23, Issue 3
Survival, growth and vulnerability to drought in fire refuges: implications for the persistence of a fire-sensitive conifer in northern Patagonia
journal, September 2015
- Landesmann, Jennifer B.; Gowda, Juan H.; Garibaldi, Lucas A.
- Oecologia, Vol. 179, Issue 4
Are wildfires a disaster in the Mediterranean basin? - A review
journal, January 2008
- Pausas, Juli G.; Llovet, Joan; Rodrigo, Anselm
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 17, Issue 6
Mortality of resprouting chaparral shrubs after a fire and during a record drought: physiological mechanisms and demographic consequences
journal, December 2013
- Pratt, R. Brandon; Jacobsen, Anna L.; Ramirez, Aaron R.
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 20, Issue 3
Fire-driven oak regeneration in French Mediterranean ecosystems
journal, October 2009
- Curt, Thomas; Adra, Walaa; Borgniet, Laurent
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 258, Issue 9
Alternative community states maintained by fire in the Klamath Mountains, USA: Fire and alternative community states
journal, January 2010
- Odion, Dennis C.; Moritz, Max A.; DellaSala, Dominick A.
- Journal of Ecology, Vol. 98, Issue 1
Reconceptualizing synergism and antagonism among multiple stressors
journal, March 2015
- Piggott, Jeremy J.; Townsend, Colin R.; Matthaei, Christoph D.
- Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 5, Issue 7
Temperate and boreal forest mega-fires: characteristics and challenges
journal, March 2014
- Stephens, Scott L.; Burrows, Neil; Buyantuyev, Alexander
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 12, Issue 2
Optimal intensity and age of management in young Aleppo pine stands for post-fire resilience
journal, May 2008
- Moya, D.; De las Heras, J.; López-Serrano, F. R.
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 255, Issue 8-9
Predictive modelling of fire occurrences from different fire spread patterns in Mediterranean landscapes
journal, January 2015
- Duane, Andrea; Piqué, Míriam; Castellnou, Marc
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 24, Issue 3
Physiological differences explain the co-existence of different regeneration strategies in Mediterranean ecosystems
journal, November 2013
- Vilagrosa, Alberto; Hernández, Encarnación I.; Luis, Vanessa C.
- New Phytologist, Vol. 201, Issue 4
Spatial and temporal patterns of plant functional types under simulated fire regimes
journal, January 2007
- Pausas, Juli G.; Lloret, F.
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 16, Issue 4
Canopy recovery after drought dieback in holm-oak Mediterranean forests of Catalonia (NE Spain)
journal, December 2004
- Lloret, Francisco; Siscart, Daniel; Dalmases, Carles
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 10, Issue 12
Post-fire tree mortality in mixed forests of central Portugal
journal, August 2010
- Catry, F. X.; Rego, F.; Moreira, F.
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 260, Issue 7
Integrating theory into disturbance interaction experiments to better inform ecosystem management
journal, February 2016
- Foster, Claire N.; Sato, Chloe F.; Lindenmayer, David B.
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 22, Issue 4
Vegetation Responses to Extreme Hydrological Events: Sequence Matters
journal, January 2009
- Miao, ShiLi; Zou, Chris B.; Breshears, David D.
- The American Naturalist, Vol. 173, Issue 1
Sensitivity of plant functional types to climate change: classification tree analysis of a simulation model
journal, June 2010
- Esther, Alexandra; Groeneveld, Jürgen; Enright, Neal J.
- Journal of Vegetation Science, Vol. 21, Issue 3
Assessing the resilience of Mediterranean holm oaks to disturbances using selective thinning
journal, November 2009
- López, Bernat C.; Gracia, Carlos A.; Sabaté, Santiago
- Acta Oecologica, Vol. 35, Issue 6
Wildfire Selectivity for Land Cover Type: Does Size Matter?
journal, January 2014
- Barros, Ana M. G.; Pereira, José M. C.
- PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, Issue 1
Climate change and disruptions to global fire activity
journal, June 2012
- Moritz, Max A.; Parisien, Marc-André; Batllori, Enric
- Ecosphere, Vol. 3, Issue 6
A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests
journal, February 2010
- Allen, Craig D.; Macalady, Alison K.; Chenchouni, Haroun
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 259, Issue 4
Interval squeeze: altered fire regimes and demographic responses interact to threaten woody species persistence as climate changes
journal, June 2015
- Enright, Neal J.; Fontaine, Joseph B.; Bowman, David MJS
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 13, Issue 5
Mechanisms maintaining biodiversity in Mediterranean pine-oak forests: insights from a spatial simulation model
journal, January 2004
- Zavala, Miguel A.; Zea, Eduardo
- Plant Ecology (formerly Vegetatio), Vol. 171, Issue 1/2
Climate change-induced shifts in fire for Mediterranean ecosystems: Fire shifts in Mediterranean ecosystems
journal, June 2013
- Batllori, Enric; Parisien, Marc-André; Krawchuk, Meg A.
- Global Ecology and Biogeography, Vol. 22, Issue 10
Fine fuels consumption and CO2 emissions from surface fire experiments in maritime pine stands in northern Portugal
journal, March 2013
- Fernandes, Paulo M.; Loureiro, Carlos
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 291
Savanna woody plant dynamics: the role of fire and herbivory, separately and synergistically
journal, January 2010
- Midgley, Jeremy J.; Lawes, Michael J.; Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon
- Australian Journal of Botany, Vol. 58, Issue 1
Mechanisms of plant survival and mortality during drought: why do some plants survive while others succumb to drought?
journal, June 2008
- McDowell, Nate; Pockman, William T.; Allen, Craig D.
- New Phytologist, Vol. 178, Issue 4
Fuel loading and flammability in the Mediterranean Basin woody species with different post-fire regenerative strategies
journal, January 2010
- Saura-Mas, S.; Paula, S.; Pausas, J. G.
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 19, Issue 6
Synergism and antagonism among multiple stressors
journal, May 1999
- Folt, C. L.; Chen, C. Y.; Moore, M. V.
- Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 44, Issue 3part2
A functional approach reveals community responses to disturbances
journal, March 2013
- Mouillot, David; Graham, Nicholas A. J.; Villéger, Sébastien
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 28, Issue 3
Post-fire regeneration strategies and flammability traits of California chaparral shrubs
journal, January 2010
- Cowan, Peter D.; Ackerly, David D.
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 19, Issue 7
Spatially-explicit simulation of the effect of prescribed burning on fire regimes and plant extinctions in shrublands typical of south-eastern Australia
journal, October 1998
- Bradstock, R. A.; Bedward, M.; Kenny, B. J.
- Biological Conservation, Vol. 86, Issue 1
A minimal model of fire-vegetation feedbacks and disturbance stochasticity generates alternative stable states in grassland–shrubland–woodland systems
journal, March 2015
- Batllori, Enric; Ackerly, David D.; Moritz, Max A.
- Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 10, Issue 3
Modelling natural disturbances in forest ecosystems: a review
journal, February 2011
- Seidl, Rupert; Fernandes, Paulo M.; Fonseca, Teresa F.
- Ecological Modelling, Vol. 222, Issue 4
On underestimation of global vulnerability to tree mortality and forest die-off from hotter drought in the Anthropocene
journal, August 2015
- Allen, Craig D.; Breshears, David D.; McDowell, Nate G.
- Ecosphere, Vol. 6, Issue 8
The global distribution of ecosystems in a world without fire
journal, November 2004
- Bond, W. J.; Woodward, F. I.; Midgley, G. F.
- New Phytologist, Vol. 165, Issue 2
Compounded Perturbations Yield Ecological Surprises
journal, November 1998
- Paine, Robert T.; Tegner, Mia J.; Johnson, Edward A.
- Ecosystems, Vol. 1, Issue 6
Human Influence on California fire Regimes
journal, July 2007
- Syphard, Alexandra D.; Radeloff, Volker C.; Keeley, Jon E.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 17, Issue 5
Tree-ring-based drought reconstruction in the Iberian Range (east of Spain) since 1694
journal, August 2015
- Tejedor, Ernesto; de Luis, Martín; Cuadrat, José María
- International Journal of Biometeorology, Vol. 60, Issue 3
Fire variability, as well as frequency, can explain coexistence between seeder and resprouter life histories
journal, March 2013
- Tucker, Caroline M.; Cadotte, Marc W.
- Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 50, Issue 3
Fire regenerative syndromes of forest woody species across fire and climatic gradients
journal, August 2005
- Lloret, Francisco; Estevan, Helena; Vayreda, Jordi
- Oecologia, Vol. 146, Issue 3
Resistance and resilience to changing climate and fire regime depend on plant functional traits
journal, September 2014
- Enright, Neal J.; Fontaine, Joseph B.; Lamont, Byron B.
- Journal of Ecology, Vol. 102, Issue 6
A Review of the Main Driving Factors of Forest Fire Ignition Over Europe
journal, October 2012
- Ganteaume, Anne; Camia, Andrea; Jappiot, Marielle
- Environmental Management, Vol. 51, Issue 3
Components of tree resilience: effects of successive low-growth episodes in old ponderosa pine forests
journal, July 2011
- Lloret, Francisco; Keeling, Eric G.; Sala, Anna
- Oikos, Vol. 120, Issue 12
Identification of drought phases in a 110-year record from Western Mediterranean basin: Trends, anomalies and periodicity analysis for Iberian Peninsula
journal, October 2015
- Merino, Andrés; López, Laura; Hermida, Lucía
- Global and Planetary Change, Vol. 133
Canadian boreal forest ecosystem structure and function in a changing climate: impact on fire regimes
journal, December 1997
- Weber, M. G.; Flannigan, M. D.
- Environmental Reviews, Vol. 5, Issue 3-4
Testing the Shifting Persistence Niche Concept: Plant Resprouting along Gradients of Disturbance
journal, June 2015
- Clarke, Peter J.; Bell, Dorothy M.; Lawes, Michael J.
- The American Naturalist, Vol. 185, Issue 6
On the relationships between forest fires and weather conditions in Greece from long-term national observations (1894–2010)
journal, January 2013
- Koutsias, Nikos; Xanthopoulos, Gavriil; Founda, Dimitra
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 22, Issue 4
Constraints and trade-offs in Mediterranean plant communities: The case of holm oak-Aleppo pine forests
journal, January 2000
- Zavala, M. A.; Espelta, J. M.; Retana, Javier
- The Botanical Review, Vol. 66, Issue 1
The ODD protocol: A review and first update
journal, November 2010
- Grimm, Volker; Berger, Uta; DeAngelis, Donald L.
- Ecological Modelling, Vol. 221, Issue 23
Works referencing / citing this record:
Climatic and fire determinants of early life-history stages in the Mediterranean shrub Cistus albidus
journal, November 2019
- Saura-Mas, Sandra; Saperas, Anna; Lloret, Franciso
- Journal of Plant Ecology, Vol. 13, Issue 1
Fire-induced deforestation in drought-prone Mediterranean forests: drivers and unknowns from leaves to communities
journal, January 2018
- Karavani, Asaf; Boer, Matthias M.; Baudena, Mara
- Ecological Monographs, Vol. 88, Issue 2
Loss of potential bat habitat following a severe wildfire: a model-based rapid assessment
journal, January 2018
- Bosso, Luciano; Ancillotto, Leonardo; Smeraldo, Sonia
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 27, Issue 11
Compound fire‐drought regimes promote ecosystem transitions in Mediterranean ecosystems
journal, November 2018
- Batllori, Enric; De Cáceres, Miquel; Brotons, Lluís
- Journal of Ecology, Vol. 107, Issue 3
A comparative assessment of plant flammability through a functional approach: The case of woody species from Argentine Chaco region: A comparative assessment of plant flammability
journal, August 2019
- Santacruz-García, Ana Carolina; Bravo, Sandra; del Corro, Florencia
- Austral Ecology, Vol. 44, Issue 8
Evolutionary history of fire‐stimulated resprouting, flowering, seed release and germination
journal, November 2018
- Lamont, Byron B.; He, Tianhua; Yan, Zhaogui
- Biological Reviews, Vol. 94, Issue 3
Increased aridity drives post‐fire recovery of Mediterranean forests towards open shrublands
journal, November 2019
- Baudena, Mara; Santana, Victor M.; Baeza, M. Jaime
- New Phytologist, Vol. 225, Issue 4
Correspondence: Uncertainty in Climate-Vegetation Feedbacks on Fire Regimes Challenges Reliable Long-Term Projections of Burnt Area from Correlative Models
journal, February 2019
- Brotons, Lluís; Duane, Andrea
- Fire, Vol. 2, Issue 1